Spellbound

This feat has been devised for the purpose of showing the use of the reversed card as a locator and the reversal of a card against the performer's leg. In effect, a chosen card is unmistakably buried in the deck and then discovered by the spectator himself in a mysterious way.

1. Have a card freely selected by a spectator, and have him show it to everyone as you turn your head. Take the opportunity of secretly reversing the bottom card. It is not necessary to note what card it is.

2. Turn to the spectator, key undercut the pack for the replacement of the card, and thus place the reversed card above it at the centre. Square the pack very openly.

3. Turn half left and shuffle overhand, thumbing off the reversed card as explained above under reversed location. Drop the cards remaining in your right hand on those in your left, and pick up the fallen card with your right hand, at the same time reversing the chosen card on your leg. Show the card you dropped, asking, "This doesn't happen to be your card?" The answer, of course, is "No." Thrust the card into the deck.

4. Turn your left side to the front and, holding the pack in your left hand, with the bottom card facing the audience, say, "I want to show you that your card is not anywhere near the bottom." The chosen card is now facing you; suppose it is the seven of clubs. Pull cards off the face of the deck with the left thumb, rather rapidly, but showing the full face of each card; at the same time mentally spell s- e-v-e-n o-f c-l-u-b-s , taking one card for each letter. Stop on the s and ask, "Have you seen your card?…. No." Drop the cards in your right hand in front of those shuffled off on to the left hand, run two or three more cards on to the left hand, and drop the right-hand cards

behind these. The chosen card, the seven of clubs, is now in position to be spelled out from the top of the pack and to appear after the last letter in the spelling.

5. The next move is a bold one, but in the many times the feat has been performed it has never been challenged. Turn the deck face downwards in the left hand, take off a bunch of cards-seven or eight– and fan them face outwards, asking the spectator, "Is your card among these?" These cards have already been shown, but that is never noticed and the answer again is "No." Replace these cards on the top of the pack.

6. Hand the pack to the spectator, instructing him to hold it in his left hand behind his back. "Now, sir, you must think intently of the name of your card, the full name. For example, the king of hearts or whatever it may be, and don't forget the 'of.' Your concentration will put a spell on the cards, and you must spell the card's name mentally, bringing forward with your right hand one card from the top of the pack for each letter. Will you do that, please?"

7. The spectator acts accordingly, bringing forward one card at a time, and you keep check as he does so. When he has brought forward the card for the last letter he stops. Nothing has happened, and you affect to be a little embarrassed. "You have spelled the name of your card?" you ask. He assents. "Very strange!" you say. "I wonder what has happened. What was the name of your card?" He names it. "Kindly bring the pack forward!" He does so and there face upwards on the deck staring him in the face is his card, leaving him spellbound. "The cards will have their little joke," you remark.