Royal Road to Card Magic The

show you that your card is not anywhere near the bottom.' The chosen card is now facing you; suppose it is the seven of clubs. Pull cards off the face of the deck with the left thumb, rather rapidly, but showing the full face of each card; at the same time mentally spell
s-e-v-e-n o-f c-l-u-b-s
, taking one card for each letter. Stop on the s and ask, 'Have you seen your card?' 'No.' Drop the cards in your right hand in front of those shuffled off on to the left hand, run two or three more cards on to the left hand, and drop the right-hand cards behind these. The chosen card, the seven of clubs, is now in position to be spelled out from the top of the pack and to appear
after
the last letter in the spelling.
    5. The next move is a bold one, but in the many times the feat has been performed it has never been challenged. Turn the deck face downwards in the left hand, take off a bunch of cards - seven or eight - and fan them face outwards, asking the spectator, 'Is your card among these?' These cards have already been shown, but that is never noticed and the answer again is 'No.' Replace these cards on the top of the pack.
    6. Hand the pack to the spectator, instructing him to hold it in his left hand behind his back. 'Now, you must think intently of the name of your card, the full name. For example, the king of hearts or whatever it may be, and don't forget the of. Your concentration will put a spell on the cards, and you must spell the card's name mentally, bringing forwards with your right hand one card from the top of the pack for each letter. Will you do that please?'
    7. The spectator acts accordingly, bringing forwards one card at a time, and you keep check as he does so. When he has brought forwards the card for the last letter he stops. Nothing has happened, and you affect to be a little embarrassed. 'You have spelled the name of your card?' you ask. He assents. 'Very strange!' you say. 'I wonder what has happened. What was the name of your card?' He names it. 'Kindly bring the pack forwards!' He does so and there face upwards on the deck staring him in the face is his card, leaving him spellbound. 'The cards will have their little joke,' you remark.
    A Tipsy Trick
    A chosen card is found reversed in the deck under peculiar circumstances. The trick is an amusing one and is used by many of the best card conjurors in their intimate performances.
    1. Begin your patter, 'Magicians often have disconcerting adventures. I would like to show you something that happened to me the other night. To illustrate the mishap exactly, will you select a card?' Offer the deck to a spectator and ask him to choose a card.
    2. 'Remember that card, please. You had better show it to the others so that they can enjoy the fun. Right? Replace the card please.' Control the chosen card to the top by the overhand shuffle control.
    3. 'At this point I always hand the cards out to a spectator to be shuffled. Generally they shuffle like this.' Shuffle overhand, running the chosen card to the bottom and back to the top. Then make another overhand shuffle, retaining the card there. 'That is called the overhand shuffle, and with long practice it is easy to follow the movements of the chosen card among the others.
    4. 'Sometimes the cards are shuffled like this.' Split the deck and execute an end-to-end riffle shuffle, finishing with the waterfall flourish retaining the chosen card at the bottom. 'That is somewhat more confusing, but with a keen eye the gyrations of the card can still be followed.
    5. 'On rare occasions someone will use the Chinese shuffle, like this.' Spring the cards from hand to hand and bring the hands together with a loud slap. 'That really is confusing, but nothing to what happened to me the other night. I offered the deck to a lady to shuffle, and a man just behind her reached out and grabbed the cards. “Here, I'll migsh 'em up for you,'' he said. He'd evidently had several drinks too many, so I knew I was in for it. This is what he did.'
    6. Holding the deck face downwards in your left hand in dealing position, with the left thumb push off a small packet of cards, say half a dozen, over the side of the deck. Turn your right hand with its back upwards, and take the packet with the thumb underneath and the fingers above; then turn that hand palm upwards, bringing the cards it holds face upwards.
    7. Push off another small packet with the left thumb, and take them with the fingers of the right hand underneath the face-up