An Incomprehensible Divination

The old war horses, as we have mentioned, are good tricks, if only because they have survived the passage of time. This feat is one of the most satisfying in the whole range of card magic; it is easy of accomplishment, utterly baffling to one unfamiliar with its mechanics, and has a simple plot that is easily understood.

To perform the trick, quietly remove the following cards in sequence, using any suits: A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-Joker. The ace is the top card, the joker the bottom card.

1. Holding the cards face downwards, you apparently mix the cards well but actually perform the Charlier shuffle. In squaring the cards secretly sight and remember the top card, which let us say is a 4.

Tell a spectator that you want him to think of a number between 1 and 10 and that, while you turn your back, you want him to transfer this number of cards, one by one and silently, from the top to the bottom. Illustrate by transferring three cards from top to bottom, which will make the new top card a 7. Subtract this number from 12, and remember 5 as your key number.

2. Turn your back as the spectator follows instructions, and when he is finished turn back and take the cards. Spread them and, without seeming to count, run through the packet and cut the card at your key number, the 5th from the top in this ease, to the top. Request the spectator to name the number of which he thought, and when he does so turn the top card face upwards and show that its value corresponds to his number.

3. Turn the top card–which let us say is a 6–face downwards, and again subtract its value, 6, from 12, arriving at a new key number of 6.

"This time I want you to think of a number, and I also shall think of a number," you remark. "Take the cards and transfer as many to the bottom, one by one, as the number of which you are thinking."

4. Turn away until he has completed the transfer; then take the cards saying, "I am thinking of the number 6," naming whatever key number you arrived at before giving him the cards. Transfer one less than this number to the bottom (5 in this case), and turn the 6th card face upwards at the top. It will have the same value as the number of which he thought. Turn the card face downwards and deduct its value from 12; if the card is a 9, then 3 will be your new key number.

5. "Now I shall name a number while you think of one," you continue. "Let me see.., well, I'll take the number 3," naming the key number. Turn your back once more as the spectator transfers as many cards to the bottom as the number of which he is thinking. Take the cards, saying, "I named the number 3.' Transfer one less than your key number, in this case 2 cards, and turn the next card face upwards at the top; its value again corresponds to the number of which he thought.

6. Note the value of this number as before, and deduct it from 12. If the card is an 8, your new key number will be 4. Hand the cards to the spectator, turn away, and have him think of a new number and transfer that number of cards from top to bottom. Turn back and, standing a short distance away, request him to deal cards on to the table. When he has dealt one less than the key number, in this case 3 cards, request him to stop the deal. "What is your number?" you ask, and when he has named it, you say, "Turn up the next card." He does so and again its value corresponds to that of his number.

Occasionally someone will attempt to confuse you by refraining from transferring any cards. In such a case, when you count down to your key number the joker will be turned up, and you say, "There's a joker in every pack, and there's also a joker in every gathering. You're the joker in this case; you didn't think of any number at all," and the spectator will be forced to admit that this is the case.

When the joker is the top card, consider its value to be 11, which when deducted from 12 tells you that your next key number will be 1, the top card. Take advantage of the circumstance by taking the packet, giving it a little shake, having the spectator name his number, and turning the top card to show that its value corresponds.