Royal Road to Card Magic The

Look - here is my ninth card!'
    Turn the top card of your packet and show that it is his card.
    The Tantaliser
    In this trick there is an element of sly humour, which should be capitalised upon. A card is selected and returned to the pack. The whole pack is dealt into two piles, one of which you keep. The spectator cannot find his card among those dealt to him, hence you deal your pile into two piles in the same way as before; but still he cannot find his card among those given to him. This continues until what you are doing dawns on him - and, sure enough, when only one card remains this is the chosen card.
    1. Glimpse the bottom card of the pack and bring it to the top in the course of an overhand shuffle. Spread the pack and have someone remove a card and show it to everyone; as this is being done, cut the pack, backslipping the top card, your key card, on to the lower portion. Keep your gaze averted from the pack.
    2. Have the card replaced upon the lower portion and replace the upper portion. Shuffle the cards, using the key undercut shuffle, which will not separate the key card from the chosen card; then have someone make as many complete cuts as may be desired.
    3. Take the pack and run through the cards as though searching for the card. Find your key card: the card above it is the spectator's card. Counting his card as one, count twenty-two cards to the left and cut any cards over twenty-two to the bottom. If there are not enough cards to bring you to twenty-two, continue the count from the bottom and cut the required cards to the top. In either case, the spectator's card is placed twenty-second from the top.
    4. 'I'll do this trick a little differently,' you say, and deal the pack into two piles, one for the spectator and one for yourself. In this, and in every subsequent deal, always give him the first card and always deal the cards face downwards.
    5. Ask the spectator if he sees his card among those he holds. He will not. Have him discard his cards.
    6. Take your pile, which you have dealt neatly to keep the cards in order, and deal two more piles. Ask him if he sees his card in his pile. He will not. Have him discard his pile.
    7. Take your pile, deal two more piles and ask if he sees his card, which he will not. Have him discard his cards.
    8. Take your pile and deal two more piles. He will not find his card among those he holds.
    9. You now have three cards in your hand. Deal two more piles, in which he will receive two of the cards and you will receive one. Ask him if his card is one of the two he holds. It will not be.
    10. Glance at him wryly and say quizzically, 'Well?' You now both know that the card face downwards before you is his card, and usually your audience will be amused. Have him name his card, turn over the one before you and show that it is his card.
    Under Your Hat
    Five cards are sealed in an envelope before one of them is chosen. Although the envelope remains in view at all times, propped against a borrowed hat, the chosen card vanishes from the envelope and is found under the hat.
    1. Borrow a pack of cards, a sheet of paper, two felt hats and an envelope. Place the hats, crown downwards, on the table and stand to its left. Tear the paper into five strips and hand them and the cards to a volunteer spectator, instructing him to have five spectators each freely select one card, to give each of these spectators a piece of paper, and then to lay the pack aside.
    Ask the spectators to write the names of their cards on the slips of paper. This done, have your assistant collect the five cards and hand them to you.
    2. Take the envelope in your left hand and hold it as in figure 69. Apparently slide the five cards into it, but actually allow four only to enter, keeping the face card - which you note (say, the three of hearts) - on the outside under your left thumb (figure 70).

    3. Seal the envelope naturally and pass it, with the card concealed behind, to your right hand, dropping them into one of the hats. You must not be hasty or furtive in doing this. There is no reason why anyone should suspect what you are doing.
    4. Walk away a few paces, pause and turn back. Remove the envelope from the hat, then turn the hat over and place it, brim downwards, on the table, the card dropping on to the table top where it is concealed by the hat. Saying, 'I'll place the envelope here in this makeshift easel,' stand it upright in the crease of the hat, which you deepen to accommodate it.
    5. Instruct