Royal Road to Card Magic The

action.

    4. Once more turn your back to the audience and with your left thumb push forwards the top card of your packet. This is, of course, the four of spades that you have just secretly added, but the onlookers will be convinced that it is a card the name of which you cannot possibly know. Continue, 'Please take the card at which you cut and show it to everyone.'
    Pause for a moment or two, then say, 'Now replace the card on this packet and then place your packet on top of all. Finally, take the pack and shuffle it thoroughly so that none of us can have the slightest notion where your card may be in the deck.'
    5. When this has been done, face your audience, take the deck and say, 'My feat is this. I shall remove four cards and one of them will be your card - I hope!' Run through the cards, remove three as unlike the spectator's card as possible and put them on the table face downwards. Using our example of the four of spades as the chosen card, you would remove the seven of diamonds, the seven of hearts and the eight of diamonds. Thus the spectator will know at a single glance at each of them that you have not found his card. Finally, remove the chosen card and place it on the other three.
    6. Pick up the four cards and hold the packet face downwards in your left hand in position for the glide. Tip up the packet and show the face card - a red card - and ask, 'Is this your card?'
    'No.'
    Turn the packet face downwards, draw out the bottom card, which you have just shown, and put it on the table face downwards, tipping it up a little so that the spectators can get a glimpse of its face. Do this casually, not ostentatiously.
    7. Draw out the card now at the bottom of the packet and put it on the top. Tip the packet upwards and show the card now at its face. 'Is this your card?' you ask. When this is denied, turn the packet face downwards and perform the glide, thus drawing out the chosen card above it - in this case the four of spades. Place it face downwards on the table beside the first card. Be careful not to show its face.
    8. Two cards remain in your left hand. Remove the lower one and place it on top of the other card. Tip up the packet and show the face card. 'Then this is your card?' you ask. Upon receiving a negative response, drop your hand, remove this card and place it beside the other two.
    9. You now hold one card face downwards in your left hand and this card you have already shown. Turn it face upwards and ask, 'Is this your card?' Immediately place it face downwards beside the other three, even before the spectator has a chance to reply. It was for this purpose that you chose three cards altogether unlike the chosen card in both suit and value. Using this precaution you will find that the audience will never notice you have shown the same card twice. In this case we have supposed that the chosen card was a black card, and you have shown three red cards only, so that the merest glance at each card satisfies the onlookers that you have failed. They have no real interest in the cards you show and therefore do not study them closely.
    10. You have placed the four cards on the table in a row, which extends away from the spectator, with the selected card second from the end nearest him (figure 64). Ask him to touch one of the four cards. He will in nineteen cases out of twenty, point to the second card, the chosen card!

    Pick up the other three cards, show them casually and drop them on the deck.
    'What was the name of your card?' you ask.
    'The four of spades!'
    Wave your hand over the one card remaining on the table. Then slowly turn it face upwards. It is the chosen card.
    You will ask, 'But what shall I do if the spectator points to one of the other cards?' In that case you would resort to a stratagem known as the equivoque. If he points to one of the other cards, you continue, 'And one of the other cards, too, if you please.' If he touches the chosen card now, you remove the other two cards and place them on the deck. But if he points to another of the indifferent cards you remove and discard them both. Thus you interpret his choice with your own end in view. The spectator does not know why you have asked him to point to a card and therefore cannot object to your actions. In either case two cards will be left on the table, the chosen card and one other.
    Now say, 'Please point to one of the two cards.'
    Again you interpret his choice as suits you best. If he points to the chosen card, remove the