Do as I Do

There are some tricks which stand head and shoulder above others. The trick now to be described has without doubt surprised and puzzled more people than any other trick conceived in the past two decades. It has everything a good trick should have-a good plot, ease of execution, and a terrific impact on those who see it. We have mentioned that the wise magician never reveals his methods to the curious, and in describing this trick we reiterate this counsel, for, once you have told how simple the trick is, you have lost the use of a superb feat of card magic.

The plot is this: A spectator thinks of a card and you think of one. You each show the card of your choice. They are the same!

1. You will need two packs of contrasting colors, say red and blue. Invite a spectator to choose one of the two packs. You take the other and shuffle it. "I want you to do everything I do. Please shuffle your cards." Turn your pack with the face toward yourself a little as you square it after shuffling, and remember the bottom card as your key card.

2. Hand the spectator your pack and take his. "I'll take your pack and you take mine," you say. Ribbon-spread your cards face downwards on the table from right to left and instruct him to do the same with his cards.

3. "Remember, you must do everything I do. First of all, each of us will take a card from his pack. You will take one from the pack which I shuffled, hence you cannot possibly know beforehand which one you will take. Similarly, I will take one from the pack which you shuffled, and I therefore cannot know which one I shall get." Run your right index finger back and forth over your line of cards and insist that he duplicate your actions exactly. After a moment, touch a

card in the centre of the spread and have him touch one in his spread. "Take out the card you touched, look at it, but don't let anyone else see it," you say. You say this because you do not want any of the others standing around to see the card you draw. Look at it but forget it, for it plays no part in the trick.

4. Place your card face downwards at the left end of your spread of cards and have him do the same with his cards. Gather your cards without disarranging them and have him do the same with his. Finally, make one complete cut and have him do the same. His cut places the key card which you noted in step No. 1 above his chosen card.

5. "Let's exchange packs again," you say, taking his pack and giving him yours. "Now I'll find my card while you find yours." Run through the pack you now hold until you come to your key card, then take the card below it and place it face downwards on the table. Try to have your card on the table before he finds his card.

6. When he removes his card, have him place it face downwards on your card, but at right angles. Take the rest of his cards and place them at right angles on your pack, both groups of cards face downwards. Do this deliberately and neatly, adjusting the cards until you are satisfied that they are placed exactly as you want them. This is window dressing, but it is important.

Now recapitulate what has been done. "You will remember that you did exactly as I did. You shuffled my pack and I shuffled yours. We each took a card and remembered it. I have placed my card on the table and so have you. Would you be surprised if we both took the same card?"

7. The spectator admits that he would indeed be surprised. Do not say anything further, but slowly pick up the two crossed cards and drop them face upwards on the table. They are the same!