A Sleight and a Force
By David Devant

I ALWAYS believe in simplifying the means of performing any illusion. Thus, I have always taught amateurs to eliminate the pass in card tricks. That is to say, as much as possible. For instance, it is usual to receive back a chosen card on the lower half of the pack. Then put the two halves together. Then make the pass, and then false shuffle the cards. I suggest the pass, in this instance, is not necessary. I receive back the card on the lower half, bring the top half to it, and keeping the two separated by the little finger of the left hand, leave it thus for a few seconds, then separate them again by commencing a false shuffle. To do this I naturally take the top half of the pack and drop it in front of the lower half. This leaves the chosen card on top and you continue to false shuffle by slipping the chosen card each time you transfer cards from the back to the front of the pack.

In the same way a simple method of forcing three cards is this, which I advise amateurs to use. Make up a pack consisting of groups of three cards, each group being similar cards. A pack like this may be cut as many times as you like and the same three cards will always be on top of either pack.

Take the pack down into the audience on a small tray and ask two or three persons to cut the cards and the last person who cuts to cut again. Thus leaving three packets of cards. Ask this last person to choose which packet shall be used, and get him to deal out three cards from the top of it, handing one each to the nearest persons. Then, gathering up the rest of the cards, you say you will turn your back while they hold their cards so that everyone can see