| Home | Dreamcast Emulation | Boards | Back to TOC |
The following trick--suggested by Blackstone, the great magician--does not require the use of a deck of cards.
Presentation and Effect:The performer starts his patter: "You have seen or heard of many ways in which a performer can ascertain what cards have been selected by his audience. I have developed a science which gives me 100% accuracy without seeing a card, touching a card, in fact, without using any cards at all. I call this science Cardology. All of you are invited to participate in this demonstration, and I hope time will permit me to answer all. Simply follow my instructions, and as you complete this test in Cardology, raise your hand. Ready? I want you to think of any card in the deck, double its value (if it's an ace count it as one, two as two, etc., up to ten. If you think of a jack the value is eleven, Queen is twelve, and King is thirteen. Now, after doubling its value, add one and multiply this total by five. Has that been done? Fine.
"Now listen to my final instructions. If the card you are thinking of is a spade, add nine to the last total; if it is a club, add six; if a heart, add eight; and for the diamond add seven. As soon as you have your answer raise your hand."
The performer continues, "You, sir, say that your total is 74; then the card you thought of was the 6 of spades. That is correct, you say? Thank you."
"This gentleman has 131, and he thought of the queen of clubs. The lady who called out 82 was thinking of a 7 of diamonds. Thank you."
"For your answer to 53--you, sir, thought of the 4 of hearts. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for helping me."
The Secret:The final total announced by the spectator will give the performer the clues to both suit and value of the selected cards. If the total ends in 1, remember that it will be a club; if it ends in 2, it will be a diamond; an end 3 will be hearts, and an end 4 will be spades.
The first number, or the first 2 numbers minus 1, determines the value of the card. For example, the number that the first spectator called was 74, and this proves to be the 6 of Spades (doubling its value made it 12, adding 1 made it 13, and multiplying by 5 gave him 65. Adding 9 for spades gave a final total of 74.) The last number being a 4 indicates that the selected card is a spade.
A further example: the value of the second card called was 131. The final 1 indicates a club; the first 2 numbers are 13(minus 1 makes 12, and 12 means the Queen); therefore, the card is the queen of clubs.
To be certain, when you start your demonstration, impress your audience with the idea of concentrating on the selected card and also to listen to your instructions. It is also important to make it plain that the ace counts as 1, 2 as 2, etc., up to 10, after which the jack counts as 11, queen as 12, and the king as 13. You can vary the presentation in a mixed group by asking the ladies, for example, to think of hearts and diamonds, and the men, spades and clubs. Using this system--if a lady calls out a number, you will know that the selected card will be either hearts or diamonds. This effect can be done with as many people as time will permit.
| |BACK| |