Well, Let's See What We've Got This Time

Suppose we start off with a trick that I feel is worth a two dollar bill to anyone who likes card tricks. Get this for an effect:

A deck of cards is thoroughly and genuinely shuffled and SHUFFLED OVERHAND so the spectators can see the fronts of the cards TOO. The performer, after the shuffle, writes a prediction on a piece of paper (Say he writes "You will take the Queen of Spades") He allows someone to hold this paper. A spectator now cuts the deck ANYWHERE HE WISHES, The card at the cut is looked at by HIM alone.

The performer now divides the deck in 2 sections, one section goes in his pocket, the other in the spectator's pocket. Each man now takes out one card from his pocket. The rest of the cards are placed together. The performer states that he is really demonstrating how easy it is to do a miracle in front of their eyes when he has the knowledge, and how futile it is for the outside or layman to attempt the same thing. He asks the spectator to think of his card and turn over and look at the card he took from his pocket. He is asked if that is the card he cut at. The answer will be NO. The performer now demands the name of the card and on turning over the one HE TOOK FROM HIS POCKET it is the very same card.

AND THE PREDICTION PAPER STATES THE NAME OF THAT CARD.
AND THE DECK IS ORDINARY AND MAY BE EXAMINED,
AND YOU SHUFFLED IT GENUINELY
AND HE CUT WHEREVER HE WANTED
AND THERE ARE NO CONFEDERATES.

Well if we gave you an easy method, would you DO IT?.... or would you just read it and pass it up?

No sleights. We have a regular svengali deck. In this deck there are 26 different cards, besides the forcing card which we will assume is the Queen of Spades. Take these 26 cards, (the different ones) and in your left hand coat pocket, you put 26 more cards of the same back design, so that when these 26 in the deck and the 26 in your pocket are put together, they will make a full deck. On the TOP of the 26 cards in your pocket, place the QUEEN OF SPADES. Have these 26 cards VERTICAL in the pocket. Now the regular svengali deck and we're ready.

1st: Write your prediction "You will take the Queen of Spades" on a piece of paper and fold it, and give it to someone to hold. Next HOLD THE SVENGALI DECK WITH FACES TO AUDlENCE SO THEY CAN SEE THEM AND GENUINELY SHUFFLE THEM OVERHAND. This secret alone is in my lists for $1.00 and has been for five years. In this manner you can show them the deck is ordinary without calling attention to it, and ESPECIALLY MAGICIANS, if they do not know this principle.

Now hold the deck by the sides and have them cut it lengthways. When they cut, take the portion they cut off, in your right hand, and you can tell easily by looking at the top card of the lower heap whether it is a force card or not (The force cards will be cut at the ends) If it ISN'T, then look at the under card of the top portion in right hand and that will be a Queen....

(Note: This genuine shuffle of a svengali deck is bound to mix up a few of the cards, but I have never yet failed to have a spectator cut at a forced card. FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT THEY WILL CUT A LONG CARD.)

So push out either the top card of the lower portion, or the bottom card of the top portion (whichever the force card is) to spectator and he looks at it, The card is now replaced and deck squared up.

Next proceed to deal out the deck in two piles and as you do so give YOURSELF all the force cards and the spectator ALL THE OTHERS. You may have to give yourself two cards at a time, once in a while, but you talk saying, I'll mix these up carefully, or I'll mix them up any old way.... here; I don't have to take one card at a time. I'll take two.... I'll give YOU two.... I want you to feel, my friends, that everything is done aboveboard.... Now, you continue, "Neither of us knows which pile your card is, let's put each pile in our pockets. I'll put one in my pocket and you put one in yours. Fine. Now I'll show you how hard tricks are. I'm going to ask you to reach in your pocket and take out a card. So will I." (and you both do so).... you then take out the OTHER 26 cards rather the other 25 cards as you have taken the QUEEN OFF THE TOP AND BROUGHT IT OUT ON TABLE FACE DOWN.... "let's lay the rest of the cards together here.... (and you put his cards and your cards together after he takes out his 25 cards too).... then you finish the trick exactly as explained in the 1st paragraph and allow everything to be examined.

You've paid many a dollar for card tricks that don't compare with this one. Even to ME.