Royal Road to Card Magic The

card in my pocket.' Place it in your right trouser-pocket and in doing so palm it as you thrust your hand to the bottom of the pocket.
    4. You have the deck in your left hand. Bring your right hand from your pocket and place the pack in it, replacing the palmed card on the top by the second replacement method. Move the left hand away and gesture with it, saying, 'If I have been successful I have your card here in my pocket.' Pat the pocket with your left hand.
    5. 'Let me show you that your card is gone. What number was it? Don't name the card, just the hour. Six! Yes, I got the impression that you are an early riser.' Have some appropriate remark for each hour. 'Watch!' Deal five cards deliberately on the table face downwards, saying, 'Will you look at the card?' As he turns the card face upwards, and everyone's attention is centred on it, push the top card, which will be the spectator's card, well over the side of the deck. Bring the right hand back in the natural reaction after the throw, palm the card flying so to speak, and immediately thrust the hand into your trouser-pocket, saying, 'Of course it isn't your card. I placed it here in my pocket.'
    6. Push your hand well down into the pocket, release the card, then bringing the hand upwards take the card by the extreme upper end and bring it up into view about three-quarters of its length out of the pocket. Its back will be towards the spectators. Hold it there and say to the spectator, 'Please name your card.' He does so and you turn over the card slowly showing it to be that very card.
    Do not move the right hand backwards swiftly to take the top card when making the palm. All eyes will be drawn to the card you have thrown on the table. Move it back at a natural pace, take the card by covering it with the full width of the hand, and continue the movement backwards to your pocket. By the time the spectators are looking towards your hand again it should actually be in the pocket.
    This is one of the great card feats that has stood the test of time, and we urge the student to master it. Not only will it give you confidence in palming cards but you will also gain valuable insight into the importance of timing in the execution of sleights.
    The palm described here in step 5 is a special palm especially suitable for this particular trick and should not be confused with the top palm.
    Now You See It!
    Have a spectator select a card, note it, return it to the pack and shuffle the pack himself. Announce that you will find the card if you are allowed four attempts. Accordingly you remove four cards from the deck without showing their faces. When, however, you do show the cards, not one of them is the chosen card. You replace them on the table, request the spectator to point to one of them, and - lo and behold - it is his card!
    1. First of all, before you offer to show the trick, secretly note and remember the bottom card of the deck. Bring this card to the top with an overhand shuffle. Let us assume that this card is the four of spades.
    2. Holding the deck in your left hand, place both hands behind your back, saying, 'I propose to attempt a surprising little feat under these conditions, with the cards held behind my back to prove that the result is inherent in the cards. I have nothing to do with it, it just happens, as you will see.' While saying this and still facing the audience, with your left thumb push the top card (the four of spades) into your right hand, its back against the palm and the slightly bent fingers. Turn this hand palm upwards and with it clasp the back of the left hand. In this position the card held in the right hand is concealed in a natural manner.
    3. Turn your back to the audience and ask a spectator to take the pack and shuffle it. When he has done so, request him to replace it in your hand face downwards. Failure to make this last stipulation would lead to an embarrassing result.
    Continue, 'You have shuffled the cards, and clearly I cannot now the position of any card. Now will you cut the pack at any point you wish?' When the spectator has removed the upper portion of the pack, turn around facing him and ask him, 'Will you assure everyone that you cut the cards at a point of your own choice?' Seize this opportunity to place the card secretly held in your right hand on top of the remainder of the pack in your left hand and again grasp the back of the left hand exactly as before (figure 63). Be careful not to move your elbows during this