Preposterous

Of all spelling ideas this has claim to being the most novel to date. The hardest part is to bring the selected card to 3rd from the top. You may use your own method, but I have a fair appearing way you may like. Make a key card by pencil dotting the upper left and lower right corners of any one. Have it on the bottom.

Spread deck and while your back is turned have one drawn and placed on top of spread. Deck is squared and cut by spectator. Turn around and spread deck a second time.

“Is that what you did while my back was turned ?” Go through the same operations. But although you appear to carelessly draw out a card and put it on top, you pull out the card second above the key which you spot in spread. Turn it over before it is free from spread so that it levers upper portion of spread slightly forward as shown. Place card on top. When you square deck, the upper portion will be jogged a bit forward, and when you push the two halves together, the thumb in back holds a small break between the halves. Deck is cut at this break bringing chosen card third from top.

You will find this a handy way to control a selected card for other effects. It enables you to bring the card to the top or any desired position with perfectly natural moves. In this particular trick you produce the selected card in the following absurd manner.

Hand the deck to someone with the request that he deal the cards from the top of the deck to the table, dealing any number he may wish between five and ten inclusive. After he has done so, pick up the packet of cards from the table, and by shifting single cards from top to bottom of packet, spell out the words of a short sentence. At the termination of each word, turn over the NEXT or top card of packet and discard it. At the conclusion of the sentence one card will remain in the hand. When turned over it is disclosed as the selected card !

You will have to memorize six sentences, and their corresponding numbers.

They are :

If the number of cards in the packet is five, the sentence is “Your card is left”.

If six, “This is the selected card”.

If seven, “The last card will be yours”.

If eight, “The last card is the selected card”.

If nine, “The last card will be your chosen card”.

If ten, “The last card will be the card you chose”.

Remember to shift a card from top to bottom for each letter, and when the word is completed, the NEXT card is shown and discarded. The remaining card — believe it or not — will always be the one selected.