Everybody’s Card, I

Card tricks may come and card tricks may go, but the really great card classics go on forever. This feat has been performed by countless magicians for almost a century and no doubt will be charming audiences a hundred years hence. Robert-Houdin, who included it in his programmes under the title The Metamorphoses , writes of it, "I may once more remark that this trick, skilfully executed, is one of the most surprising that can well be performed." The authors can only urge their readers to master this delightful bit of hanky-panky.

The plot is simple. Four cards are drawn by as many persons. One of them is shown to each in turn, and it changes successively, the one card becoming everybody's card.

1. Advance with the pack in hand and make a short introductory statement. "Ladies and gentlemen, I should like to show you one of the great card tricks." As you say this, fan the cards and hold them with their faces toward the audience. Square the pack smartly in the left hand, with the card faces toward the audience, and say, "A pack of playing cards."

Glance at the face card, appear to notice something unusual, and brush the card with the right finger tips. "The four of spades." Cover the pack for a moment with the right hand, make the color change and show that the face card has changed to another card. Gesture with the right hand toward the pack, but do not say anything and, during the laughter which the color change provokes, do not move. Shrug a little, helplessly. "An unusual pack of cards!"

2. Approach someone well on your right, holding the pack as for the Charlier cut , and ask the spectator to cut the cards. At the moment his hand is about to close on the pack, make the Charlier cut , saying, "Thank you." This will usually amuse an audience if you are careful not to give the impression that you are a wiseacre.

3. Spread the cards widely between your hands, and invite the spectator, whom we shall call A, to take a card. Let it be amply clear that he has a free choice, but do not mention this fact, because you should never lead an audience to believe that there is such a thing as a forced choice. "Remember your card, please." Extend your right hand for the card, saying, "I will place your card on the table for a few moments." Turn to your left, making the top change , and drop an indifferent card on the table.

4. Approach a second spectator, whom we shall call B and who is seated somewhat to the right of the centre of the audience. Shuffle A's card to the middle of the pack in preparation for a force as you do this. Square the cards, holding a break over A's card, and say to B: "You, too. Will you take a card?" Break off, glance back at A, saying, "No, no! Stay for a while and enjoy the show!" Revert to B and force A's card upon him. Take it from him, and in turning to your table again make the top change , placing an indifferent card upon the first card.

5. Prepare in the same manner to force A's card upon a third person, C, who is seated to the left of centre. A moment before you make the force, glance back toward spectator A worriedly, apparently note that he is still in his seat, smile broadly at him as if you have a little joke between you, and invite C to take a card. This incidental "business" helps to make the spectator's choice of a card seem unimportant, since you are more interested in spectator A than in what you are doing. It also helps to enliven the slow part of the trick, which is the time spent in having cards selected.

6. Take C's card, turn back to your table, and actually drop this card upon the other two. Care must be taken that only those close to A, B, and C see the cards they take. It is for this reason that you choose spectators in widely separated parts of the audience. You must also handle the card so that its face is not seen after the top change .

7. Now move on to spectator D, who is at the extreme left. Extend your left hand with the cards in position for the Charlier cut , saying, "Will you cut the cards?" Glance back at spectator A, laughing, and say, "Remember?" Before D can move to cut the cards (it is unlikely that he will fall into the trap you set for A), you say, "I'll shuffle them myself." Spring the cards from the right into the left hand, saying, "A Chinese shuffle I learned in Canton… Ohio."

8. Place the pack face downwards on the extreme finger tips of the left hand. Hold the hand well away from the body. "And a cut!" Remove the upper half with the right hand and place it beside the lower portion. Pick up the lower portion, leapfrog it over the upper half, and place it to the left of the latter portion.

Finally, pick up the upper half and place it on top of the other. Clearly the pack has not been cut at all, and your swindle will cause some amusement. You must make this cut neatly in about three seconds, so that it will not slow your presentation.

9. "The cards have been shuffled and cut," you say blandly to spectator D. "Kindly take one of the fifty-two cards." Riffle the pack close to your ear, as though counting the cards, and say in a surprised tone, "Hmm. Only forty-nine!" Then note the three on the table. "Oh yes, three on the table, forty-nine here."

Spread the cards before D. Abruptly glance at him in mild indignation. "Sir, do you think I cheat?" Pause and say, as if the thought had just struck you, "Why, I do ! Here, take the cards in your own hands and remove one."

10. As he removes a card, walk to your table, and pick up the three cards there–two of which are indifferent cards and the third the cards taken by A, B, and C. Move to A, show him the three cards and say, "You see your card?" He affirms that you hold it. Next move to B, showing him the three cards. "You also see your card?" Finally show the three cards to C, asking him the same question. You will have received three affirmative answers, and the audience, seeing that you hold three cards, assumes that each of these is a card drawn by one of the spectators!

11. Now you return to the last spectator, D, saying, "You have found a card to your liking? Good. May I have the pack?" Take it in your left hand, drop the three cards you hold in your right hand on top of it; the top card of the pack will then be the one taken by A, B, and C. Take D's card with your right hand.

Glance toward A, at the other side of the audience, bow formally, and say in a satiric tone, "I hope you're having a good time." Again smile as though you had some pleasant and private understanding with him. Move toward him and make the top change , taking his card in your right hand but holding it horizontally so that its face cannot be seen by anyone.

Stand before him, with the card extended. "Will you breathe on the card?" At the moment he blows, make the ruffle with a single card. Glance toward spectator D, saying, "Your card has metamorphosed into this gentleman's card." Tip up the card so that A, and only a few others near him, can see it. "It is your card, sir?" A will admit that it is. Immediately move away from him, effectually silencing him and thus preventing any possible remark which might reveal the name of his card.

12. Hold the card well away from your body, with its outer end sloping downwards so that its face cannot be seen. Let it be clear to all that the card is not exchanged for another. Approach B, extend the card, have him blow on it, and again ruffle the card. Tip it up so that he can see it, and say, "And now it is your card, too."

13. When he has agreed, move on to C, again holding the card so that its face cannot be seen. Request C to blow on the card, and when he does so say, "Oh, come now, sir! What a feeble attempt! Surely you can do better?" The spectator, entering into the spirit of the occasion, rewards you with a full-blown zephyr, and you ruffle the card, at the same time tilting it so that he can see its face. "Unbelievable as it may seem, the card is also your card!"

14. Glance back at A, saying, "Aren't you glad you stayed?" At the same time move on to spectator D. "And now, last but not least, let us see if we can transform the card into your card. Kindly blow upon it." When he has done so, tilt it up so that he can see it, and say, "You see–it's your card, too."

Turn to your left a little, and top change the card you hold for that at the top of the pack, which is D's card. D will deny that the card you showed him is his card; but if he does not you say, "It is your card, isn't it?" in which case he will state that it is not. "Of course," you exclaim. "The ruffle was missing. Kindly blow again." Ruffle the card as he blows upon it, then tip it upwards so that he can see it.

Finally hold it up so that all can note that it is the same card they saw at the start. "You see, ladies and gentlemen," you exclaim, "this card is everybody's card!"

Although there are two forces and four top changes in the trick, these sleights are made when there is no reason for the audience to anticipate trickery; for this reason they are easy to perform without detection. The trick is entirely delightful and will charm any audience when done easily and naturally. We have outlined a possible presentation in an attempt to convey the informality which is so important in making the feat entertaining. The tone set here may not be suitable to everyone, but the plot adopts itself to any style of presentation which the student may wish to evolve for himself.

Note particularly the use of the glance toward a spectator away from you in order to offer misdirection during the execution of a sleight or in preparation for it. This device is extremely useful, for it capitalizes upon the universal human urge to see that which another looks at.

When performing this trick for small groups, it is advisable to follow it immediately with another trick; this will prevent the four spectators from mentioning the names of their cards, which would reveal the modus operandi of the trick.