Royal Road to Card Magic The

left hand, press against their sides with the left index finger and thumb, thus keeping the two cards in perfect alignment. Deal these two cards face upwards as one upon the first two cards, saying 'Black.' The cards should be dealt neatly one on top of the other.
    7. Take the last card, saying, 'And this naturally must be red.' Show it, drop it face upwards on the other cards. You have shown four cards and all are two-spots. Pick them up, square them with the face towards yourself and mix the cards without revealing how many you hold. Be sure that the chosen card is third from the top when you finish. 'A good mixing,' you say, turning them face downwards. Take them in your left hand in readiness for the glide.
    8. 'I'll do that again.' Repeat the actions from step 4 to step 6 and you will hold one card face downwards in your left hand. This is the chosen card.
    9. Place it face downwards to your right. Pick up the other cards, place them on the pack and hold the pack in your hands. 'This is where I test your powers of observation,' you explain. 'You see, I made you think that you should observe the colour of the cards as I dealt the two-spots. That was a trick, for now I want you to tell me the suit of the last card.' As you say this, idly cut the pack, thus burying the other cards.
    10. The spectators may succeed or fail in naming the proper two-spot, but no matter what their answer, you say, 'I'm sorry, but you were observing the colours so closely that you failed to notice the values on the cards.' Have the chosen card named, turn the card on the table face upwards and show that it is not a two-spot, but the chosen card.

CHAPTER 5

The Glimpse

    In magic the term glimpse is applied to the act of secretly sighting and taking note of any particular card. There are many ways of doing this. Some of them have graduated into the conjuring class from the gaming table and some require considerable skill to execute properly. The best of these will be considered later. In the meantime let us take up first the one that is most easily acquired by the beginner.
    Bottom-card Glimpse 1
    We shall suppose that you have handed the deck to a spectator to be shuffled. When he has done that, hold out your right hand to take back the deck, purposely holding it rather high so that he will have to raise his hand to give you the deck. Take the pack with your thumb underneath it on the face card, your fingers on the back. At that moment it is natural for you to glance at the cards, and by tilting them ever so little with the thumb you can glimpse the index of the bottom card at the inner left corner (figure 43). Immediately look at the spectator and address him with some short remark, such as, 'You are satisfied that you have mixed the cards thoroughly?'

    Do not tilt the pack so far that the whole of the face card is visible to you. Slope it just enough to see the index only. Do not turn your gaze towards the pack as you tilt it: you should only look at the pack as you take it. Get the glimpse and then look at the spectator. Make the action a natural one and no one will have the least suspicion that you have seen the bottom card.
    Immediately after making the glimpse, execute an overhand shuffle, controlling the sighted card by keeping it at the bottom or sending it to the top of the pack.
    Sometimes the spectator will play into your hands. Many laymen make the shuffle roughly, and often you can glimpse the bottom card either as the shuffle is made or as the cards are being squared after the shuffle. Always make a point of watching for this. If you do not sight the card, then resort to the method explained above.
    Bottom-card Glimpse 2
    This is a bold method but a good one.
    Offer the pack for shuffling and when it is returned hold it face downwards at the ends between the right thumb and fingers. Say, 'Kindly notice - nothing up my sleeves,' and draw back the right sleeve with the left hand. As the right arm is extended, tilt the pack enough to enable you to glimpse the index of the bottom card.
    Bottom-card Glimpse 3
    Offer the pack for shuffling and when it is returned hold it in the left hand as for dealing, face downwards. Thumb off about a dozen cards from the top and take these in a fan in the right hand, letting it be clear that you do not see the faces.
    Hold the hands well away from your body as you say, 'You will certify that these cards are well mixed?' Run your left index finger over the faces of the fanned cards, from