Nomolos

“Very often a magician tells his audience that he’ll teach them a trick,
and then proceeds to turn the tables on his watchers leaving them to feel
very foolish. However, this time, I’ll really teach you a trick – honest to
goodness – and for that purpose have purchased a funny deck, one in
which all of the cards are the same, all 10’s of Hearts. With such a deck
it is very hard to go wrong, because it becomes impossible to miss unless
you happen to lose the deck in the middle of the trick”.
“If I were to ask you to take a card, look at it, and put it back, and then
shuffle the cards a bit, I wouldn’t have much trouble in finding your card,
or one that looks a lot like it. I could even put the cards in my pocket and
then reach in and pull it out. I couldn’t miss”.
“I could stand before you and shuffle along through them; you could tell
me to stop now, or now, or now, and without looking I would always know
what the card was you were looking at”.
“To go further I might even tell you beforehand what card you were going
to get. Here is a piece of paper. On it I’ll write the name of a card. You
know, of course, because I’m showing you a great secret, that I’m writing
the 10 of Hearts. (Show it openly to those close enough) We shall fold it,
have you initial the paper, sir, and keep it safely in your pocket. Now, from
the deck, I deal four cards face down and ask that one be chosen freely.
You know I don’t care. Just name a number between 1 and 4 to make it
extremely fair. And this chosen card we’ll push away from the others”.
“Now I have you read aloud everyone the prophecy on the paper. What
does it say ? What ? The TWO OF CLUBS ! Something’s happened. That
guardian spirit of mine always comes sneaking around to mess things up
whenever I try to tell people how to do tricks. It’s against all ethics, you
know. Here’s that chosen card. You see, it IS the Two of Clubs ! My spirit
control won’t let me down in front of an audience, but I’ll hear plenty
tonight. I suppose he even changed these other three. You see ? Maybe
he didn’t have time to reach the deck, though. It doesn’t look changed.
BUT LOOK AT THEM NOW ! ALL DIFFERENT ! He’s a fast worker. I’m
really and truly sorry. I did want so much to show you how to entertain
and mystify your friends”.
9
The general patter outline tells most of the story. Have a force deck (call
it a “funny” deck, please), say of 10s of Hearts. In your side pocket is
a straight deck with the 10 of Hearts at its face, and the 2 of Clubs cut
short. Have a small pad of paper with no backing. On one side, write “2
of Clubs”.
Take out the all kind deck and follow the patter. Fan and show the cards
plainly during this, and at the proper time drop in pocket on end, pull out
the 10 of Hearts from off face of the straight deck and show, and then take
the straight deck out, adding the ten to the face without letting any other
card be seen. Now, you talk about the shuffling and stopping. Hold the
deck face down in left hand, and execute the well known hindu shuffle
lengthwise, pulling the cards from off top of deck into left hand, holding
the deck by near sides with right thumb and second finger. During this,
whenever you say now, or now, or now, turn over the right hand packet to
show the 10 of Hearts. The illusion of the shuffle is perfect and the cards
still appear to be the same.
When nearly through the deck put what’s left in right hand under the
packet in left which leaves the Ten at face. Place the deck down face up
while you write the prophecy. Openly write “Ten of Hearts”, using the
blank side of the pad. Show those close. Step back, turning over the pad,
tear off the top sheet, fold, have initialed by someone and kept. Drop the
pad in your pocket and pick up the deck. Take four cards out at random,
faces down, and place them in a row. The Two of Clubs, being short,
is easily found and placed second from either end. It is forced by the
“between 1 and 4” dodge, you counting from either end to catch the deuce
at 2 or 3. Push it away from the others and you are set for the finish. The
paper, when read, says “Two of Clubs”. The card is the correct one. The
three are shown different, and finally the deck, with the 10 of Hearts still
at face, is fanned to show all different, and you can proceed into anything
you want to do with a straight deck. The whole routine is based on the
surprise angle, and showing a deck of cards all alike will react upon the
audience only as proof that you don’t need such things.