Royal Road to Card Magic The

upwards a little to show that the eight is actually in the centre, then slope it downwards slightly. Grasp the protruding cards with the right hand - the thumb at the top, the forefinger pressing against the outer edges, and the middle finger on the face - and push the two cards, always as one, into the deck for about 12 mm (½ in). Draw the upper card outwards again, so that the tip of your left forefinger can engage the outer end of the lower card and push it flush into the deck. This action is hidden from the spectators by the upper card and by the sloping position of the pack.
    14. Push all the cards under the protruding card inwards 12 mm (½ in). Grasp a few cards at the top of this packet with the right thumb and middle finger at the inner end. Draw these cards away inwards, then drop them on the top of the pack as you say, 'We'll put the eight of clubs a little deeper in the deck.' Actually this action has brought the eight of clubs to the top of the pack.
    15. Push the protruding card, supposed to be the eight, flush and square the pack.
    16. Tap the top card, turn it face upwards, showing that it has arrived on the top again. After a moment, turn it down again.
    17. Shuffle overhand by undercutting the deck, injog the first card and shuffle off. Undercut below the injog and throw on top, returning the eight of clubs to the top of the pack.
    18. Take the lower half of the deck in your left hand. Give it to a spectator, asking him to shuffle the cards. As he does this and while all attention is on him, palm in your right hand the top card of the portion you still hold, and hold the packet in that hand. A moment later take these cards with your left hand and give them to another spectator
on your left
, asking him to shuffle them.
    19. 'Let's see if the eight of clubs will be ambitious when you handle the cards,' you say. Have each of the two spectators turn the top card of his packet. Neither of these cards is the eight.
    20. 'The eight wouldn't perform for you because you didn't treat it with kindness. You shuffled too roughly altogether,' you say. 'Another reason is this: here's the card!' Place your right hand with the palmed card under your jacket on the left side and produce the card at its fingertips as if you drew it from your waistcoat pocket. 'I told you - it's an ambitious card.'
    'Throughth' and Consequences
    Although the handling of the cards in this fine trick, in which a chosen card reverses itself in the pack, is not that of the orthodox double lift, the principle involved is the same and for that reason we include it in this section.
    1. Have a card drawn from a shuffled pack and, when it is returned, control it to the top by means of the overhand break control.
    2. Hold the pack in the left hand, as for dealing, and place the right hand over it, with the thumb and fingers at the ends. Under cover of the hand, push the top card 6 mm (¼ in) off the pack to the right. Insert the tip of the left little finger under it and square the cards (figure 85). Thus you have a little finger break under the chosen card.

    3. Riffle the outer end and remove any card from the centre of the pack, placing it face upwards at the top. Square this card with the once face downwards under it, by running the right fingers and thumb along the end of the pack, saying, 'Is this your card?' As you say this, lift the two cards above the break as one, with the right second finger and thumb at the ends near the right corners. Hold them about 25 mm (1 in) above the pack, and press down on the top card with the right index finger, thus bending the cards and preventing them from spreading.
    4. Simultaneously drop the left thumb under the pack and turn the pack face upwards on your left palm, saying, 'Then is the card at the bottom your card?' Receiving a negative response, place the two cards held by the right hand on the face of the pack.
    5. Turn the pack face downwards and make a complete cut as you say, 'In the past ten years science has made such enormous strides that few laymen comprehend its achievements. The theory of
throughth
is one of these new findings. Formerly it was believed that if I were to turn this pack face upwards, like this [here you delicately turn the pack face upwards, holding it in the left hand] every card in the pack would be turned face upwards. Scientists have now discovered that this need not be so. By utilising
throughth
, the new dimension, I will turn the pack face downwards, like this [and