Magical Originalities
Ernest E. Noakes
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The "Ne Plus Ultra" Trick
(As Worked by Me)

I TAKE it for granted that every magician of repute is well versed in the card tricks set out in New Era Card Tricks. Years ago, when I digested the contents of this interesting publication, I desired to do the above-named trick, but the tables of figures quite frightened me, so I strove to produce the effect in an easier manner. I did not like the idea of a showman having to peep at a series of tables, on the quiet, or having an assistant to help, so I worked the trick as follows:--

Passing an unprepared pack of cards to the front row of my audience, I request them to select a number of cards. The first person who accepts the pack, shuffles it, selects a card, and passes the pack to his neighbour, who does likewise. When eight cards have been selected, I request the ninth person to shuffle the rest of the pack, and the selected cards are collected and placed on the top, and the pack then cut and shuffled. The cards are either named by me, or the position in the pack told. This is the same effect as originally existed.

The working is as follows:--I use a highly polished metal tray to hand the cards on to the audience, and to collect the cards after the selection has been made. I give the pack to a person on the right for the selection of the first card, and request him to pass the pack to his left for the selection of the other cards. When the eight cards have been selected, and the ninth person has shuffled the remaining cards, you advance towards him with the tray, requesting him to place the pack thereon. You catch sight of the bottom card reflected in the tray, and this card we will call the key card.

You now collect the cards from left to right, so that the first card chosen is the last card collected. Each card is placed on top, and you draw the attention of your audience to the fact that you do not touch the cards once throughout the proceedings (so far). When the eight cards have been returned to the top of the pack, you request someone to cut wherever they please, and finish the cut. You now touch the cards for the first time, drawing attention to the fact that if you shuffle the pack well, no two cards can remain together.

You then, knowing your key card, "shuffle" (any false shuffle), and cut back to the original position. Patter now is introduced, how that when a boy you used to thoroughly separate each card by dealing a few at a time into heaps--thus--really dealing the cards four at a time into four heaps (when four cards remain in the hand, deal these four one on to each heap in the same order), and picking them up, heap No. 4 first. You now remark that "in case there should be any possibility of two cards still being close together" you again shuffle the pack, this time noting the bottom card, and giving another false shuffle and returning the pack to the same position again.

You now mention that just to prove no "order" can exist, you will deal out each card separately. This you do into four heaps as before, and pick up the last heap first, and replace the others in order on the top. A final false shuffle can be made. (The bottom card is now the original key card.) The first person's card is always the fortieth, and the other cards follow in order of selection at 27, 14, 1, 5, 43, 30, 17, and these eight positions is all that there is to memorise. Now for the trick!

You ask the person who drew card No. 1 to "openly name the card," and after deep thought you tell him his card will be the fortieth card from the top of the pack. You count the cards up to about ten as you slide them off the top--so that these cards are not seen by the audience, and then face them on the table and proceed to count on to find No. 1. You, well knowing No. 2 will be the twenty-seventh card, carefully note what card it is in passing, and count right on to forty, where No. 1 is found. You show the card and replace in its position, and replace other cards back. Advancing to drawer of No. 2 you read his thoughts and are able to name his card. Advancing to third drawer you ask him to name his card, and you will tell him the position of it in the pack. It must be the thirteenth which you, of course, "divine." Card No. 4 is the top card. This you palm off and discover by your favourite method, and afterwards place it on top again. You now glance at the fifth card down, and this card is always the fifth card chosen, and you can name this one by looking into the eyes of the person who selected it, or any other method.

You ask the person who drew No. 6 card to openly state the name of it, and you tell him that his card is the forty-third card in the pack, and in counting, as before, you note the thirtieth card in the pack, which will be No. 7. After proving No. 6, you vary the proceedings for No. 7 by taking hold of the wrist (or other misdirection) of the person who selected it, and naming his card. Now you must glance at the seventeenth card down, which will be No. 8, and, advancing to the person who selected that card, you mysteriously name the card he is thinking of.

This can be the finale to the trick, or the following addition can be proceeded with. You now, in order to convince the audience that fifty-two cards were used, count them one at a time, and as you count you place the second card underneath the first, and so on until the fifth card, which you place on top; 6 to 13 underneath, 14 on top; 15 and 16 underneath, 17 on top; 18 to 26 underneath, 27 on top; 28 and 29 underneath, 30 on top; 31 to 39 underneath, 40 on top; 41 and 42 underneath, 43 on top; the rest underneath, counting up to the 52.

You now borrow a hat, scarf, muff, or some receptacle, and proceed to discover "by touch" the eight selected cards. The cards now from the top to the eighth are the selected cards in the following order of selection: No. 4, No. 5, No. 3, No. 8, No. 2, No. 7, No. 1, No. 6. You look intently at your audience, place your hand to cards and ruffle them, and "pick out" the cards, giving each one to the "chooser" as produced. I know of no other trick with a borrowed pack of cards that causes more comment. The instructions given here certainly look complicated, but I found no trouble in presenting the trick after quietly mastering the theory of it.

As my reader has no doubt noticed, I prefer card tricks which can be performed with an unprepared pack, which enables one "to show" at a moment's notice, or fill a gap in the programme caused by some accident or other cause. I hope that the half-dozen tricks I have selected and explained will be of practical value to those magicians who have followed me so far in my explanations.

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