A Pocket Discovery

A card having been freely selected by a spectator, noted and replaced in the deck, the pack is shuffled and then placed in a spectator's pocket. Any number having been chosen, the magician draws cards from the pocket singly and produces the selected card at the number chosen.

1. Begin by handing the pack to a spectator and asking him to shuffle it and while doing so to think of any card. When he has done that, instruct him to take that card out of the pack and hand the remaining cards to you. Turn away and have him show the card to the rest of the company.

This method of having a card taken by a spectator is a good one, not only because it is obvious that he has a free choice but also because the onlookers will think of it as merely having been "thought of," which enhances the effect immensely. Note, too, that it is wise to have a chosen card shown to the audience. Nothing is more annoying than to find, on reaching the climax of your feat, that the drawer has forgotten which card he chose. That precaution also prevents a spectator from naming a card wrongly in order to embarrass you; this, sad to relate, some people are tempted to do.

2. You now have to control the chosen card for your own purposes, and this you do by using the overhand shuffle control . That is, you shuffle off about half the pack on to your left hand, have the card replaced on this packet, run three cards flush, injog the next card, and shuffle off. Undercut below the injogged card and throw on top. The chosen card now lies fourth from the top of the pack.

3. It is necessary for you to know the chosen card, and to secure this information you must glimpse the index of the fourth card, as follows:

Continue, as explained in the section referred to above, by remarking that the shuffle may have brought the chosen card near the top or bottom. Lift off the top three cards, show them, and drop them face down on the table. Turn the pack face upwards in your left hand, take off several cards with your right hand, at the same moment pressing the top card of the pack (the chosen card, now resting against the left palm) to the left just enough to expose the index (Fig. 10).

Since this action takes place on the side of the deck away from the audience, it is imperceptible to them. Show the cards in your right hand, replace them on the bottom of the pack, turn the pack face downwards, and drop it on the three cards on the table. You have the chosen card on the top of the pack and you know what card it is, although everyone should be convinced that it is unknown to you and buried in the deck.

4. "Let us put the cards to a harder test," you say. "Will you, sir, kindly empty your breast pocket*." As he does this you can generally contrive to cause some amusement over the heterogeneous articles thus brought to light. Hand the pack to him telling him to put it in his pocket, but you must note carefully which way the cards face as he does so.

"Now that the cards are out of my possession, will you, sir, name any number you please–say between one and twelve, just to save time." Suppose he says, "Eight." "Very well, this is what I propose to try: Seven times I will take a single card from your pocket and at the eighth draw I will order the chosen card to jump into my hand. Ready?"

5. Draw out seven cards in succession from the face of the pack, counting them and laying them face downwards on the table. "Eight, you said. Very well, now for the eighth card." Plunge your hand into the pocket, calling out, " Allez oop !" Then, without withdrawing the hand, "A card has leapt into my hand!" Lean forward, let your right ear rest against the pocket. "The card tells me it is a seven. The seven of "Then take the card out and hold it face downwards. "Will you, sir, be kind enough to complete the name?…. The seven of hearts." Turn the card face upwards and show that you have succeeded.

The feat is made up of the simplest possible elements, but properly presented it never fails to create amusement and wonderment.