In this strange but cute variation of the familiar spelling trick, a new bit of effectiveness is brought into play. There may be other ways of doing it by sleight-of-hand, and which would give a wider range of selection, but the following method is practically automatic.

The performer shuffles and throws out three face down cards at random, one of which a spectator merely thinks of after looking at them all. During this time, the performer can turn his back. The cards are lumped together, returned to the deck, and shuffled a bit more.

Now the name of the thought of card is asked. The performer spells off say the Ace of Spades. One card with each letter he spells, A-C-E. He shows this last card. It is an Ace! he continues with O-F. He again shows the card he is at. It is a Spade! Remarking that such a coincidence is sort of a good omen, he continues, S-P-A-D-E-S. On the last letter he turns the card face up. It is the Ace of Spades! And this effective coincidence (?) works with any card of those chosen.

It all depends upon the simplest of setups. Take out the Ace of Spades, Four of Hearts, and the Queen of Hearts as the cards from which one is to be chosen. With the deck face down in hand, have on top any two cards, then any Ace, then any four, then the Queen of Spades, and then any two heart cards. On top of these seven cards put the removed Ace, Four and Queen in that order.

Now dovetail shuffle the deck, leaving the top ten in place, and throw off the first card. Repeat this until three are in a row. Or, if you wish, riffle through the deck three times, and throw out a card each time, slipping it from top to the cut each time you riffle through.

Have the spectator look at the cards and finally think of just one. During this you turn your back as he looks, and start fanning the deck, counting ten cards from the top. Hold a slight break at this point. Gather the cards together with the right hand, keeping them in their correct order, let the deck open slightly at the break and drop the cards in. It looks as though you merely gather the cards together and push them in the deck at random.

Have the spectator name his card after you have given the deck a riffle shuffle or two, keeping the top 13 in place. The rest of the effect is automatic, and just a bit different from the usual.