Royal Road to Card Magic The

first pair.
    4. Show a third pair and repeat the phrase, 'Two cards, a pair, always even,' and place them between the person's index and middle fingers.
    5. Now take one card only and place it between the thumb and index finger as you say, 'One card only, odd' (figure 66).

    6. Continue by filling the four spaces of the other hand with pairs of cards, being very careful each time to lay stress on the words
even
and
pair
. You do
not
place an odd card between the thumb and index finger of this hand. The peculiarity of this arrangement always attracts attention and arouses much curiosity as to what you are going to do.
    7. Proceed by taking away one of the pairs of cards, showing them. 'Two cards,' you say. 'A pair, even.' Take one card in each hand and lay them apart, face downwards, on the table. Take a second pair, repeating the formula: 'Two cards, always even,' and place one on each of the first two cards. Proceed in exactly the same way until you have laid all the pairs in two piles.
    8. 'Now,' you say, 'we have made two piles, each of which contains an even number of cards. That is right, isn't it?' The reply is always in the affirmative, strange as that may seem when you know the trick, because of course there are actually seven cards in each pile.
    'Very well,' you continue, 'if I place this odd card [you remove the single card from between the person's thumb and index finger] on either heap, it must make that heap odd. Correct?' Again there is universal agreement. 'Very well. On which of the two heaps shall I put this odd card? This one? So now this heap becomes odd while the other remains even. I warn you, you must watch very closely, for I am about to attempt a very difficult sleight. If you catch me at it, I want you to say so. If you don't - I'll be happy. I place one hand on this heap, which has now become the odd one, as chosen by you. I place my other hand on the even pile and I keep them well apart, as you see.
    'My trick is this. I shall pass one card from one heap to the other, so that this odd pile will become the even pile and the even pile the odd one. Remember, if you see the card as I throw it across, I want you to say so. Ready? Watch closely! Pass!'
    9. Suiting your actions to your words, you have placed your hands palms downwards on the two packets, keeping them about 45 cm (18 in) apart. At the word 'Pass' you make a quick sidewise motion of each hand about 25-50mm (1-2 in) and at once rather excitedly exclaim, 'Did you see it go?' Of course they didn't, and you say happily, 'Then my trick is a complete success. This heap, which was odd, is now even [pick up and count the cards by pairs], 'two, and two, and two, and two - even. While this one, which was even, is now odd - two, and two, and two, and one - odd isn't it?'
    Don't be misled by the apparent simplicity of the trick. Presented as described above, it has a really astonishing effect, but remember that the presentation is everything.

CHAPTER 8

The Backslip

    The backslip is an easy and useful sleight in which the pack is cut and in the action the top card is slipped secretly to the top of the lower portion.
    1. Hold the pack face downwards in the left hand, the thumb extending along one side, the index finger at the outer end, the other fingers at the other side.
    2. Grasp the upper half of the pack at the ends with the right fingers and thumb, and open like a book (figure 67).

    3. Press against the top card with the tips of the left middle, ring and little fingers.
    4. Lift upwards all the cards held by the right hand except the top card. Fold this card down on top of the lower portion with the left fingers.
    Smoothly performed, the slipping of the card cannot be seen, but care must be taken to make the fall of the card noiseless.
    This is the basic sleight. Nate Leipzig, the late, great American card conjuror, devised the following procedure to hide the transfer of the card. In making the action in step 4, turn both hands at the same time so that the cards they hold are face upwards. Point to the face card of the packet in the right hand with your extended left index finger and make some appropriate remark about this card (figure 68).

    Backslip Force
    Let us say that you have a card at the top of the pack that you wish to force. Riffle downwards with the thumb at the left side of the pack and ask someone to stop you whenever he likes. Stop the riffle at this point and remove the cards above the thumb with the right hand,