Easy and practical is this method of performing this popular effect, which heretofore depended largely upon the skill of executing the top and bottom changes. In the foregoing variation I have tried to bring out features which will enable the average card worker to present this classic for close up table work, requiring a minimum of skill, its effectiveness depending, of course, upon patter and presentation.
A card is selected from a pack, replaced and the deck shuffled. The performer asks that he be given three chances to locate this card. Showing a card the spectator is asked if it be his chosen pasteboard. He denies it, and it is dropped on the table. Twice more a card is shown, yet none proves to be the selected one. A second person now chooses one of the three cards on the table, and when turned over it proves to be the chosen card; a second choice is made and this card is also the selected card; and lastly the third card is turned over and also the selected card again! The climax is reached when it is shown that only one of the three cards on the table is the first selected card.
Three queens of spades are distributed in the pack as follows: two are on the top while the remaining queen is placed second from the bottom. Riffle shuffle deck without disturbing this set up. Now force the first queen on top of the pack by using the well known “Tell me when to stop” riffle at end of deck, slipping the top card to top of lower half when deck is cut at the stopped at point.
This queen is replaced into the pack at any spot desired. (Forget about this card for the time being.) The pack is again shuffled keeping only the top and next to bottom queens in place.
1. Show bottom card of pack, which is an indifferent card, and when spectator says it is not his card, turn deck face down, make the glide, sliding bottom card a bit back with left fingers, pull the next card (queen) off as apparently from bottom and leave face down on table.
2. Take card off top (double lift of two) and when this is denied, replace, and deal off the top card face down beside the first on table.
3. State that you will select a card from inside the pack this last time. Hold face down in left hand with thumb and fingers at sides. With right thumb at rear edge riffle slowly through until you come to the other queen. Cut deck at this point bringing queen to top. Once more show top card using the double lift, and upon receiving the third denial, deal off top card, making a row of three queens face down on table.
At this point the performer asks spectator if he is positive none of the three cards was his selected card. The answer, of course, is “No”. From this point on a second person is asked to assist. This person points to any one of the three cards on the table. The performer turns it over and shows it to be the card. Then he places it face down to the right of the other two cards, near edge of table.
Now he states that many wonder what would have happened if another of the three had been chosen. As he remarks of this, he is holding deck still in left hand and with right thumb at rear counts two at bottom and holds a left little finger break. Now he asks spectator to select another of the two remaining cards. This is turned over and found to be the correct card again. This card is then turned face down and placed on top of the other queen which was shown and placed aside.
At this moment, as the two cards are together, they are squared and picked up between the thumb at rear and fingers at front. And as the cards are picked up, the performer looks at the spectator and asks him to see what would have happened had he selected the last card on table. As he turns this over, to find the third queen, the performer takes pack from left hand with the right and places it on table, leaving in left hand the two indifferent cards below finger break. The two queens in right hand remain palmed there, the left hand tossing the two cards face down as performer says “Most people think that all one needs is three cards alike, but I can assure you that it is just an illusion.” As this is said, the right hand drops to trouser pocket carelessly, left hand is pointing to cards just tossed to table, and the spectator will always pick them up to find everything different and nothing wrong with the deck upon examination.
A trial or two to smooth out the action is all that is needed to make this a well-liked stunt. Surely, it makes an ancient classic of card effects much easier than of old, and the man who cannot make a good top or bottom change will find this a welcome addition to his repertoire.
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