Royal Road to Card Magic The

when you see the force card - the four of spades - remember the number at which it lies from the top of the packet. Complete the deal without any hesitation and ask the spectator if he has seen his card.
    If the card is not in this packet, take the other one and repeat the deal with it, noting the position of the force card - how far it is from the top.
    4. Hand the packet containing the force card to the assistant and close your eyes tightly throughout the remainder of the trick; your consequent fumbling will be convincing. Request the assistant to hand you the cards one by one, face downwards, and to think intently of his card. Let us suppose that you know the force card is the eighteenth card in his packet. Take the cards one by one, appearing to concentrate on each card and leading the audience to believe that you will announce when you have been given the proper card. Instead, you wait until you are given the card before the one you know is his; in the present illustration you will take the seventeenth card and hesitate before discarding it.
    5. Abruptly you exclaim, 'Just a moment! Hold that next card face downwards.' Lift off the blindfold with your left hand. 'What was the card you were thinking of?' Gesture towards him with your right hand.
    'The four of spades.'
    'Right! Show that card to everybody!'
    He does, and everyone sees that you have stopped him precisely on his card.
    Fours of a Kind
    The plot of this trick is similar to that of the feat described as The Sevens. It has, however, a delayed climax of the turn-the-tables type.
    Prior to the performance remove the fours of clubs, hearts, spades and diamonds. Arrange the deck so that one of these is at the top and the second is directly below it; after the second there is an indifferent card with a third four-spot below it. Place the remaining four-spot second from the bottom.
    1. Shuffle the cards by means of the riffle shuffle, without disturbing the two cards at the bottom or the four cards at the top of the pack.
    2. Force the four-spot at the top by means of the backslip force and have it placed on the table before the drawer, without permitting its face to be seen.
    3. Prepare for a double lift, saying, 'There is a sympathy among cards, which has often been commented on. I believe that I can show you what I mean.' Turn the two top cards as one, showing the indifferent card, which let us say is a nine, and replace the two face downwards on the deck. Remove the top card, a four-spot, and place it face downwards before you, saying, 'This card tells me the value of the card you drew. It is a nine.'
    4. Hold the pack in the left hand face downwards as for the glide, tip it up so that the face card, which we shall say is a diamond, can be seen, and say, 'This card indicates the suit. A diamond. We know your card must be the nine of diamonds.' Turn the pack face downwards as you say this, glide back the bottom card, remove the card above it (a four-spot), and place it face downwards before you on the table.
    Remove the card that is now above the glided card at the bottom and, using it as a pointer, indicate the two cards before you. 'Remember,' you say, 'a nine here and a diamond here. The nine of diamonds.' Replace the pointer card at the bottom, thus effectively concealing the glided card.
    5. At this point the indifferent card is at the top of the pack, with a four-spot directly under it. Make the pass, transposing the upper half to the bottom, and hold a left little finger break between the two packets. Spread the cards from hand to hand and force the fourth four-spot on yourself - a feat that should give you very little trouble! It is only necessary to remove the card below the one above which the little finger maintains control.
    Place this card face downwards beside the other three, explaining, 'The purpose of this card will be clear in a moment. As you have seen, the cards say that the one you drew a moment ago is the nine of diamonds. Please turn your card face upwards and show everyone that this is the case.'
    6. The spectator turns his card and shows it. Let us say it is the four of the heart suit. Appear a little discomfited, then exclaim, 'My original trick hasn't worked, so I shall do another trick instead. Your card is the four of hearts. Very well. Cards, change!' Tap each of the three cards before you, turn them over, and show that each is a four-spot.
    Pulse Trick
    You will be surprised at the number of pseudo-scientific explanations