Calling the trick Preposterous, Martin Gardiner furnished a trick for Jinx #40 which received nice mentions but was passed up by many more. I have combined it with a somewhat similar trick of Charles Jordan’s and whenever I’ve used it, comments have been good and the requests for the working were numerous. Certainly it is one of those things you have to KNOW, rather than SEE HOW, for there is nothing to catch and follow.

You fan through a borrowed deck and remove the Joker or extra cards. In this action you simply count from face of deck and note the 27th card from the bottom. Close the deck and have someone step forward to the table. Spread the deck across the table face up from left to right, and ask the spectator to pick whichever half of the deck he wants to use. Whichever he points to, scoop them up, making a break below the noted 27th card, and thus the deck is subtly separated into two packs of 26 cards each.

Ask this spectator to look through his portion (don’t call it half) and take out one card that appeals to him. In the meantime you pass into the audience and have someone else select a card from the other half of the deck in the regular manner. They note and remember it, replace it, and you return to the front, shuffling this half. It is only necessary that you bring the selected card to the top upon its return and then shuffle 2 cards onto it, leaving it third from the top of the packet.

Ask the standing spectator if he has chosen a card, at the same time crimping upward the rear left corner of your 26 card packet. The base of the left thumb does this, while the tip of the same thumb is on the outer left corner of the packet pushing it downward. The result is a slight crimp at the rear of the packet but not at the front. Hold out the left hand and ask the spectator to put his selected card on top. Then tell him to put the rest of his packet on top of all. Thus two cards have been selected and returned without much loss of time or motion.

Saying that it is customary to mix the cards a bit, cut off about 9 cards and drop them face down on the table. Cut off about 9 more and drop them to the right of the first pile. The third time, cut at the break which shows at the back end of the pack, and as the right thumb lifts the packet at this spot, you glimpse and remember the face card of the bunch. Drop this packet to the right of the second packet on the table.

Continue cutting the remainder of the pack into three more heaps, which are placed in a similar row side by side under the first three. We shall call them and place them thusly :

1 – 2 – 3

4 – 5 – 6

Assemble the piles by putting 1 on 3, 5 on 6, 2 on 3, 4 on 6, and then 3 on 6. This really puts things back about where they were but the mixing allows you to learn the identity of the standing spectator’s card which is 26th from the top. And the third card under it is the one selected by the second person.

Ask the standing spectator to think intently of his card and hold out his hand. One at a time you deal pasteboards onto it face down, spelling a sentence and then the card. When finished he acknowledges that you are correct, and, turning over the top card of the deck, there it is! (You’ll be surprised how many people ask you how you could possibly know the card, let alone find it)

Knowing the name of the card, and the fact that it is 26th from the top, makes this very simple in execution. The names of the cards have a spelling range of but 6, from 10 to 15 inclusive. Depending upon this detail, you merely use one of six sentences before the name of the card, invariably ending with the 25th card dealt. Turning the next one brings up the card itself!

YOU PICKED OUT THE — any 10 letter card.
YOU SELECTED THE — any 11 letter card.
YOU TOOK OUT THE — any 12 letter card.
YOU PICKED THE — any 13 letter card.
YOU CHOSE THE — any 14 letter card.
YOU DREW THE — any 15 letter card.

As you reveal this card, take back those you have dealt off and put the 26 at the bottom of those in hand, leaving the second chosen card third from the top. One of the nice things about this combination is that it almost takes care of itself and wise people are fooled because you never are seen to be keeping control of any cards.

Ask the second person to step forward, and as they do, give the deck a dovetail shuffle or two, keeping the top three cards at least in place.

Hand the deck directly to this person and ask that he or she deal cards face down onto your hand. It is necessary for you to have any number of cards from 5 to 10 inclusive dealt onto your hand. I have found no trouble in merely saying that I want a few cards, and for the person to deal. As they deal the fourth, I say “Just stop when you please”. So far, I’ve not had anyone go beyond the six following cards. A cute point is to have them deal slowly and say the name of their card to themselves with each card dealt. This will keep a person from going very far.

When they have finished you work with the packet in hand, mentioning that it contains only as many cards as the spectator wished you to have. Now, deliberately and openly you shift single cards from the top to the bottom of this packet, spelling out the words of a short sentence. At the termination of each WORD, turn over the NEXT or top card of the packet and discard. At the conclusion of the sentence, one card will remain in the hand. The spectator names his chosen card, you turn the one card up, and it is the same!

You have six more sentences for this second revelation, depending upon the number of cards dealt onto your hand. The chosen card is third from the top of the deck at the start of the deal off. 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 will be the one selected.

YOUR CARD IS LEFT — 5
THIS IS THE SELECTED CARD — 6
THE LAST CARD WILL BE YOURS — 7
THE LAST CARD IS THE SELECTED CARD — 8
THE LAST CARD WILL BE YOUR CHOSEN CARD — 9
THE LAST CARD WILL BE THE CARD YOU CHOSE — 10

I hope that long directions haven’t scared the reader away, but the important points had to be covered. A single tryout before well versed card men will prove this to be an excellent impromptu group stunt, and far different in effect and method of execution from the usual run of the mill trick. The sentences aren’t difficult to learn, and in this case, the bit of memorizing will pay good dividends.