(Editor’s note : Mr. Simpson has, to
us, discovered a new system of almost
immediately computing the location
of the spectator’s thought of card after
he, himself, has handled the cards
alone. It is a vast improvement over
the old 27 card trick, or the method
(requiring tables) by Jordan for use
with the entire deck, or the more
complicated method of figuring as
written by Stanyon. Combined with
another deck for a coincidental effect
it makes an amazing problem.)
EFFECT
Two ordinary decks of card are used,
the spectator having free choice of
one, the performer retaining the other.
The cards are examined and shuffled,
and the spectator and the performer
each merely think of a card. The cards
are then dealt into piles according to a specified system.
Each gathers up his piles in any hap-hazard order he pleases, the spectator
picking his up AFTER the performer does. At no time does either see the
faces of any of the cards of the other deck and the performer has no idea
of the spectator’s thought-of card at any time.
Yet, at the end of the experiment the two cards are found TO OCCUPY
THE SAME POSITION IN THE TWO DECKS. There is no appreciable
sleight-of-hand and the trick can be repeated immediately any number
of times WITH THE THOUGHT-OF CARDS BEING FOUND AT
DIFFERENT BUT CORRESPONDING POSITIONS EACH TIME.
METHOD
There is a partial set-up of the two decks. In each case, the cards occupying
positions 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 48 from the top are the AC,
2D, 3H, 4S, 5C, 6D, 7H, 8S, 9C, and 10D respectively. Note that the
order of the suits is that used in the game of bridge (although the CHaSeD
system may be used, as well as the individual performer’s own favorite
order) and the denomination can be found by dividing the position number
by 5. In other words, the performer knows and can easily remember the
name of every fifth card (and the 48th) and yet no set-up is apparent if
either deck is examined.
The spectator is given his own choice of decks. He is told to examine it
if he wishes and to shuffle it thoroughly. Meanwhile, the performer false-
shuffles the remaining deck. Each then discards 4 cards, leaving a deck of
48. The performer is careful to discard the four BOTTOM cards which of
course does not disturb his set-up.
Each then glances through his deck and thinks of one of the cards. The
performer need not burden his weary brain at this point, for he need
merely to pretend to think of a card. Now each simultaneously deals his
face-down cards one by one into THREE face-down piles, dealing from
left to right. Each then looks through his three piles and indicates in which
pile his card happens to be.
So far as the performer is concerned he can indicate any pile he pleases,
but he is careful to note the pile indicated by the spectator.
Now the performer gathers up his piles, apparently in hap-hazard fashion,
but actually the left-hand pile goes on the second pile and the two are
placed on the right-hand pile. The spectator is then told to gather up his
piles IN ANY ORDER HE PLEASES, but the performer MUST NOTE
THE RELATIVE POSITION OF THE INDICATED PILE, that is,
whether the pile containing the spectator’s thought-of-card is placed 1st,
2nd, or 3rd from the top.
Each then deals his cards into FOUR face-down piles, looks through
the piles and indicates the pile in which his card has fallen, after having
glanced them through. Again, since the performer has not even thought of
a card, his indication is of no consequence, but HE MUST GATHER HIS
PILES UP BY PLACING THE LEFT-HAND PILE ON THE SECOND,
THESE ON THE THIRD, AND THESE ON THE FOURTH.
The spectator is told to gather his four piles in any order he wishes, but
again the performer must note the POSITION FROM THE TOP AT
WHICH THE INDICATED PILE IS PLACED.
For the third and last time the cards are dealt out, this time again into
FOUR piles. The piles are looked through as before, the pile containing
the card is indicated, and again the performer picks up his piles in 1, 2, 3,
4 order while the spectator is allowed any order he wishes. The position
of the pile containing the spectator’s card is again noted by the performer.
Two things have been accomplished. First the performer’s cards are back
as they were at the start. He therefore knows every fifth card and the
48th or bottom card in his pack. He also has the necessary information to
tell the position of the spectator’s thought-of-card in the spectator’s deck.
This is accomplished by means of a very simple formula, namely :
A minus 3B plus 12C
…in which A, B, and C are the respective positions of the spectator’s
indicated pile as placed by him in the three times that the piles are gathered
up. Thus, suppose the spectator’s indicated pile goes on top of the first
assembled pile (A equals 1), goes third from the top the second time (B
equals 3), and third from the top the last time (C equals 3). The spectator’s
card will therefore be 1 minus 9 plus 36 which equals 28th from the top
of his deck.
THE USE OF THIS FORMULA IS COMPARATIVELY EASY SINCE
PLENTY OF TIME IS AVAILABLE FOR MAKING EACH MENTAL
SUBSTITUTION. In the above cited case, the performer remembers
the number first obtained (one), then when the value of B is obtained he
subtracts three times B from A and in this case gets MINUS 8. He keeps
this in mind until the last value is reached (C equals 3) and can quickly
take 8 from 12 x 3 to get the final result of 28.
So far so good. The performer does not know the 28th card in his own
pack, but he does know that the 30th card is the 6 of diamonds. (30 divided
by 5 equals 6).
So he says to the spectator, “We have each mentally chosen a card.
Obviously I do not know your card, nor do you know mine (this is true).
Neither do we know the position of the other’s card since we each had the
privilege of gathering up our cards in any order we wished, and please
note that I always gathered my cards before you did yours.”
“Now my card was the six of diamonds. Let us deal face up our cards
simultaneously and in unison from our face-down decks, like this, (here
the performer deals out, in this case, two cards face up which brings his
6 of diamonds to the desired 28th position) and if the Universal Law of
Coincidence is working, our two cards will fall together. Before we deal,
may I ask for the first time what your thought-of card is ? (While this is
being said, the two dealt off cards are casually picked up and returned to
the BOTTOM of the deck) The nine of spades ? Let’s go !”
Dealing face up the cards in unison will, of course, result in the 9S and 6D
falling together. Several points may be mentioned in conclusion.
First, if the spectator’s card is calculated to be at a position corresponding
to a multiple of 5 or at 48, the obviously no illustrative deal is necessary.
Otherwise the performer states his card to be that at the next multiple of 5
beyond the number at which the spectator’s card is secretly known to be.
Second, if desired the transfer can be made secretly by means of a pass.
Third, if the performer is a bit rusty in his algebra and does not like to deal
with possible negative numbers, he can avoid this by using the formula
in the form of 12C plus A minus 3B, but in this case he cannot make his
mental substitutions until after all three deals have been made. Fourth, at
the conclusion of the trick, if the performer’s dealt off cards are returned
to his deck, and the cards that have been transferred to the bottom are
returned to the top, the deck is in its former position and condition and the
trick can be repeated at once.
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