Royal Road to Card Magic The

selected by the third spectator.
    We have mentioned elsewhere that it is always advisable to have several people note a selected card in order to guard against the possibility that the drawer may forget its name, misread it, or misname it in an attempt to disconcert you. There is the possibility, too, that you may perhaps have erred in some manner and lost control of the cards.
    In such a case you must never concede defeat. Let us say that you have lost control of a chosen card and now must extricate yourself from your predicament. Do it in this manner.
    1. Hold the pack in your left hand as for the colour change. Turn to the spectator, saying, 'Kindly name your card.' Place your hand over the pack and simulate the action of the colour change. When the card is named, say, 'I'll do something very surprising for you!'
    2. Pass by this spectator's card and go on to the next drawn card. While discovering it, fan through the pack, find the lost card, place it at the top of the pack, and then go back and make your discovery of the card.
    Razzle-dazzle Routine
    This short routine contains many surprises and can be performed under almost any conditions; for this reason it is excellent for impromptu use. As with all routines, you should practise it until you can go through it without watching your hands or having to stop to remember what to do next. The action should be automatic, smooth and graceful.
    The Sevens Since this is the opening trick of the routine, arrange the four sevens as required for the trick before your performance. When you have finished the feat, hand the pack to someone for shuffling.
    Righting a Wrong After performing this trick, again have someone shuffle the cards. Take the pack, glance at it, and say, 'Did you know that shuffling the cards generates electricity? Look what you've done.' Place the deck face downwards in your left hand and do the Pop-up Card flourish. Quickly place the card on the top of the pack and hold it down with your forefinger. 'You shocked that card. It's still trying to get away from me.' Remove your right hand and hold it in position for the Self-cutting Deck. 'Why, the whole pack's in a ferment,' you exclaim, shooting the lower half into your right hand. 'I don't think I'll be able to control the cards. However, I'll try. I'll use the two red aces.
    Acrobatic Aces Spread the cards face upwards and remove the red aces, and with them perform this trick, concluding by saying, 'As you can see, the cards have a will of iron.'
    Top-Change Byplay
    Shuffle the cards using the waterfall shuffle, and when the cards are squared, execute A Pretty Cut. Place the deck face upwards in your left hand, and change the face card by means of the colour change, muttering, 'The cards are absolutely uncontrollable tonight. No one knows what will happen next.'
    Fan the deck, have a card removed and noted by all, and proceed into the top-change byplay.
    When you have extracted all the fun to be had from the trick, glance at someone and say, 'I'll read your mind. Think of a card.' Spread the cards with their faces towards yourself, find the eight of clubs, and cut it to the top of the pack. Hesitate, shake your head, and say, 'Concentrate, please.' Fan the pack, find the nine of clubs, remove it and hold it with its back to the audience, saying, 'Remember, all you did was think of this card. Kindly name it.' He names it and once in fifty-two times it should be the card you hold. On the other fifty-one occasions, glance at the card, say 'Oh' in an expressionless tone and place it at the top of the pack.
    Immediately and blandly say, 'Well, I'll do another trick for you. This time
I'll
think of a card and you name it. Ready? Good. Name the first card that comes to mind, and that will be my card. All right, what's the card I'm thinking of?' No matter what card he names, say, 'That's correct!' All this the audience believes to be amusing nonsense, but actually you have set up the eight and nine of clubs at the top of the pack in preparation for:
    Ambitious Card
Perform the trick as given, finally finding the card under your jacket. 'You see how the cards are tonight? Can't do a thing with them!' you say, pocketing the deck.

CHAPTER 20

Platform Tricks

    Conus Ace Trick
    The number of four-ace tricks is now legion, but one of the first and still the best is the one devised by the French conjuror Conus over a century ago. With slight modification the trick is as effective today as it ever was. The plot, as