This is an excellent mate, or sequel, to the Dai Vernon Up and Down trick in Jinx #38. Both use 20 cards dealt from a shuffled deck and follow each other logically.

The magician deals off any twenty cards from any deck. One person looks through and notes a certain card – also its number from the top – as the three of diamonds, eight from the top.

Another person does the same, noting say, the four of spades, fifteen from the top. It is specified that each number must be BETWEEN one and twenty, eliminating the top and bottom cards.

The magician takes the twenty cards. He knows neither cards nor numbers. He turns around and rearranges them, or merely puts them behind his back for a few seconds. Then he asks for the two numbers – after laying the heap on the table.

One person says: eight; the other says fifteen. The magician remarks that that makes a total of twenty-three and that there are only 20 cards in the heap. So he deals three more cards on the heap of twenty. Now he counts down eight cards. He turns up the eighth. It is the card selected by the second person – the card that originally was fifteenth from the top! He continues counting until he reaches fifteen. He turns up that card – it is the card taken by the first person – the one that originally was 8th!

Here is the method. Upon receiving the 20 cards, simply count them from hand to hand out of sight, dealing each card upon the card before – thus reversing the order of the packet. But when the last card has been dealt thus, shift it from the top back to the bottom. That is, reverse the nineteen cards, but leave the 20th on the bottom where it was.

Ask for the two numbers after laying the heap down. When they are given, if they total more than twenty, simply deal the extra amount of cards from the pack. Thus eleven and sixteen, totaling twenty-seven, would require seven cards from the pack.

If the two numbers total less than 20 – as two and nine, a total of eleven – remove that many cards from the heap. In this instance that would mean a removal of nine cards.

If the two numbers total exactly 20, as seven and thirteen, go right ahead and deal without adding or subtracting any cards. Even if both person take the same card, the trick works. For instance, both take card number seven. Add seven to seven – fourteen. Take six cards from the top and deal. This occurrence is not desirable, but it seldom happens and the trick works away.