Editor’s note: When I received this effect from Mr. James, whose Miraskill contribution still gets comment (Jinx #24), I read it over carefully and then tried it out three times for the N.Y. boys at Holden’s and Grant’s. The effect hit them well or it wouldn’t be here.
Strictly impromptu this trick has good effect on an audience for it should be presented as a mindreading test more than a card feat. Any deck is handed to a spectator to shuffle, turn his back, remove any card from the rest and put it in his pocket. The performer takes the deck, handing it immediately to a second person who shuffles. This person is to then cut off a bunch of cards, look at the face card of the packet and hold the whole bunch against his body for the time being. The performer takes the remainder of the deck and hands it to a third person for mixing. Taking them back he fans them facing the spectator who is told to merely think of anyone he sees in the packet. The deck is assembled and the cards located. That’s the easiest way to end that paragraph and follow through with the actual working.
Everything is strictly fair up to the third person. In fanning through this packet, the performer silently counts the number of cards in it. We’ll assume 22. He also notes the face card of the bunch and remembers these two points. He now hands this packet to the second spectator and tells him to put it either on top or bottom of the bunch he is holding and cut the deck once or twice.
At this time the performer states that he is desirous of having the three cards at one spot in the pack so that all three minds will come together at one point rather than three, thus making the location easier. The third person is given the deck and asked to run through, remove his mentally chosen card and hand it to the second person. The first person is asked to take his card from pocket and also give it to the second person. Then the second person, with the two cards, is asked to take the deck, locate his own card and put these two cards of the others, one on each side of his deck. Then he cuts the deck several times and the performers takes it.
I know this may sound screwy but it’s hard as the devil to put in print. Take a deck in hand and go through with it just as described. It all works out simply and there are no moves.
The performer takes the deck and fans through it face towards him. He first locates the key card he has remembered and cuts it to the face or the bottom. Then, counting from face towards the back of the deck, and including the bottom card, he counts to the 22nd card (the number of cards he counted in the third man’s group). The 22nd card, 23rd card and the 24th card are thus the three selected cards, with the second man’s card in the middle of the three. The three are cut to the top in that order.
Snap the top of the deck and tell the second man you have his card. He names it and you show it by making a double lift and turning the two cards face up on top of the deck. Left hand now turns over so the card faces the floor. Right hand removes a single card from under the deck in this position and puts it back on the deck after turning it to normal position. Then the left hand turns back, but this move has resulted in the covering of the second of the two cards originally turned over on top of the deck. That card is now face up second from the top and is cut to middle and glimpsed in a left thumb riffle. Knowing the two cards left, and knowing the one reversed, the performer asks a question regarding the color or the suit of the first person to find out which is his. If not the reversed card, turn to the third person and ask him to think hard and then name his card. Then the deck is fanned and the card found reversed. Cut the deck so the card is immediately UNDER the reversed card is at top. This is the remaining card. Hold the deck behind your back. Have the man name the card he originally took from the deck himself and then produce. It’s really worth trying out.
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