REQUIRED

A “single ender” deck of cards with 26 duplicates of one card cut short
and with matching backs. For sake of clearness let us suppose that the
duplicate cards are Aces of Diamonds.

PREPARATION

Stack the deck in your favorite order such as Si Stebbins or Eight Kings
being sure that the back designs of the deck are all pointing in one direction.
Cut the cards so that the Aces of Diamonds is on top, and remove it. Now
cut off 25 cards and place them in the upper right vest pocket.

Reverse the order of the remaining 26 cards so that what was on the
bottom now becomes the top one. Place a duplicate short Ace of Diamonds
between each card which action will result in the assembling of a typical
Svengali deck in which the 26 ordinary cards are arranged in your favorite
order.

PRESENTATION

On a slip of paper write “The Ace of Diamonds will be selected.”
Fold it and lay on the table in full view. Remove the deck from its case,
false shuffle several times and have a card chosen by riffling the pack’s
end for the spectator to insert a finger and draw a card out. It naturally is
the Ace of Diamonds.

As the card is taken out to be noted, the portion of the deck above it is
cut off and a second person asked to look at the card just below the first
one that was removed. The spectator is to remember it as a number rather
than as a card, i.e., the Nine of Hearts would represent the number 9, the
Queen of Clubs the number 12, paying no attention to the suit. While
this is being done and both cards returned, note secretly the value of the
card on the face of the cut-off portion held in right hand. Counting one
value backwards in the stacking system the performer knows the value of
the card chosen by the second spectator. The cards are returned to their
original positions and the top portion dropped on all.

The deck is handed to the first spectator who is asked to deal the deck into
two face-down piles, one card at a time to each. This action places all of
the Aces of Diamonds in one pile and all of the ordinary cards in the other,
at the same time reversing the stacked arrangement. The first spectator
is now asked to indicate a pile, and the ordinary pile is forced either by
giving it to him if he selects it, or by moving to one side the other pile that
is pointed to.

He is told that with 26 cards out of 52 he must stand a pretty good chance
of holding his card. He is to fan through and see if it is there. It is not, so
the packet is taken and placed aside within easy reach.

A third spectator is now sized up as a likely looking prestidigitator
and asked to assist. The pile of 26 Aces is picked up and placed by the
performer into his own inside coat pocket. The second spectator is now
asked to concentrate upon the number he has in mind. The third assistant
is told to put his hand into the performer’s pocket. As the spectator does
this, the performer slowly counts and the spectator is to grasp a different
card for each number. Suppose the number is three. As you count “one”,
the spectator picks a card at random but does not withdraw it. The same
procedure is followed for “two”. However, when “three” is reached, tell
the spectator to withdraw it and place the card face down on the table.

As you turn to the second spectator to ask if that is the number he has in
mind, the left hand apparently removes the remainder of the cards from
inside the coat pocket, actually, however, taking the packet of 25 ordinary
ones from the inside right upper vest pocket where they have been from the
start. These are laid on top of the pile lying on the table. Having received
a confirmation from the second spectator that you have correctly stopped
at his number, the first man is instructed to name his card, which is the
Ace of Diamonds. The third assistant turns over the card he withdrew
from your pocket and it is the Ace. Congratulating the third man upon his
success, remark that a magician would have to be pretty good to beat this
feat, but that you think you have done so. Now have the prediction slip
opened and there is the correct prophecy of the Ace of Diamonds.

Add the Ace withdrawn by the third spectator to the top of the deck and
you have a full pack of cards which may be casually shown all different,
YET WHICH ARE ARRANGED IN YOUR FAVORITE ORDER.

Tricks with a set-up deck, of which there are legion, are now performed.
As a concluding effect with this arrangement, state that you once played
bridge with a man who was subject to sudden attacks of insanity of short
duration, that he suffered a seizure once when he was about to deal and
this was what he did.

Deal four cards in a small face down square before you. Deal the balance
of the pack onto these cards in an apparently haphazard manner, being
sure, however, that every fourth card goes onto your pile, and that at the
end of the deal each pile contains thirteen cards.

Just before the deal, and after a few preliminary cuts, note the bottom card
of the pack. When you have dealt them all your pile will consist of 13 of
that suit while the other hands will contain a mixture of the other three
suits.

Continue with your story to the effect that you and the other two players
decided to say nothing but continue on with the play. However, when the
“screwball” gentleman calmly stated that he would bid seven —– (suit
of noted card) without looking at his hand, you began to get worried. So
everybody picked up his hand rather than excite him further (turn over the
3 hands and spread them) but he refused to play saying that there wasn’t
any use and turning over his hand.

Here you pick up the 13 cards in front, i.e., directly in front of you, give
them a short overhand shuffle, and spread them out with the remark that
maybe he wasn’t as crazy as we had thought. Gather up the cards. If you
have been careful, although the stack is lost, THEY ARE STILL SET
INSOFAR AS THE “SINGLE-ENDER” PRINCIPLE IS CONCERNED.
At this point “One-way” tricks are in order.

Having exhausted this type of trick you still have one “ace” left, for the
Ace of Diamonds added earlier to the deck is a short card and can be used
to good advantage as a locator for further tricks.

For the performer who uses cards and knows so many that he cannot do
at one and the same time because of deck limitations this routine will be
invaluable. The opening trick is quite astonishing and will completely
fool magicians who watch you keep right on doing tricks with the same
(well, half the same anyway) and all different deck. Working into stacked
deck effects, and subsequently into one way back tricks to cap everything
with a stunt or so using a short card will keep the best of them constantly
worried.