To Tell The Exact Position In The Pack Of Any Card Named By The Audience
The following explanation will require a little study, but if the rules are followed just as stated below, the student will soon comprehend the idea I intend to present, and I
dare say will be greatly pleased with the result. In my mind it is the key to the greatest combination of card tricks in existence.
To begin with, the card is named by the audience, the artiste so holding the pack as to see at a glance, and note the last four cards, as seen in Fig. 31. These last four cards
are: Ten of hearts, king of diamonds, three of clubs, and six of spades.
Figure 31
Say the card named is the three of spades. Now, according to table No. 1, you subtract the given card (three of spades) from the first card of the suit (six of spades), which
leaves three. Next multiply by four-twelve; therefore, the three of spades is the twelfth card from the top. Now cut the cards as near as possible to what you think is twelve. Should
you cut at the eleventh card-which would be the king of clubs--you immediately know the card following a club is a spade, and if you cut at the king of clubs, the next card is three
spots higher-the three of spades-so you open at the next card. Or, should you cut the pack at the thirteenth card, which in this case would be the six of hearts, you know a heart is
preceded by a spade, and if you have the six of hearts, the card before it is the three of spades.
RULE NO. 1
The following table should be thoroughly learned and memorized.
We will suppose the performer has effected the change of packs and is ready to find any given card in the pack, therefore he proceeds as follows:
Subtract the given card from first card of suit from the bottom of pack. Now multiply it by four, and deduct the number of cards following the first card of suit.
We will refer again to Fig. 31.
Say the given card is the five of hearts, subtract five from first card of suit (which is ten of hearts) -five.
Now multiply by four-twenty, less the number of cards before the first card of suit from the bottom, which is three, which, deducted from twenty leaves seventeen. Therefore, the
five of hearts is the seventeenth card from the top.
TABLE No. 2.
If the card named is higher than the first card of suit from the bottom, subtract the given card from thirteen.
Now add the number of first card of suit, then multiply by four, less the number of cards following the first card of suit, and you will have the exact number of the given card
from the top of the pack.
In Fig. 31 the last four cards are the ten of hearts, king of diamonds, three of clubs, and six of spades. We will say the five of clubs is named, the three of clubs being the
first card of suit.
As it is impossible to subtract five from three, you deduct it from thirteen (as explained in table No. 2), which leaves eight. Now add the number of first card of suit, which is
three-eleven; multiply by four - forty-four, less the number of cards following the first card of suit (which is one)-forty-three. You will upon examination sow find that the
forty-third card is the five of clubs.
With a little careful practice the student will soon become familiar with the arrangement, and that which now appears somewhat difficult will be-tome very simple and easy. I can,
within the space of three seconds, cut the pack to any given card.
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