Charles Jordans Best Card Tricks

Karl f'ulves
RLES JORDAN'S
__T CARD TRICKS
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With 265 ntustrations
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Copyright 1992 by Karl Fulves.

All rights reserved under Pan American
right Conventions.
and Imemauonal Copy-
Published in Canada by General Publishing

Company, Ltd., 30
Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario.
Published in the United Kingdom by Constable
and Company,
Ltd., 3 The Lanchesters,
162-164 Fulham Palace Road, London
W69ER.
Charles Jordan's Best Card Tricks is a new work,
Dover Publications,
Inc., in 1992.
first published by
Manufactured
in the United States of America
Dover Publications. Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola. N.Y. 1150 I
Library
of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Fulves, Karl.
Charles Jordan's
best card tricks / by Karl
illustrations by Joseph K. Schmidt.
p.
em.
ISBN 0-486-26931-0
1. Card tricks.
I. Jordan,
1888-1944. II. Title.
GV1549.F8 1992
795.4'38-dc20
Charles
Data
Fulves ; with 265
T. (Charles
Thorton),
91-46089
CIP
Introduction
or the legendary figures in magic, Charles T. Jordan is perhaps unique
in that his reputation was established almost solely through a mail-order service he operated for a very few years. He did not perform publicly, shunned the company of all but a few friends, and did little in the
wayof advertising, yet he was to have a profound influence on later
generations of magicians.
Charles Thorton Jordan was born to Charles and Mary Jordan on
October 1, 1888. At about the age of ten, after witnessing a Keller performance, he became interested in magic. He purchased tricks and
gave performances in his Berkeley, California, home until about the
age of 20, when he made the acquaintance of Robert Madison. It was
Madison who invited him to join a small group that included Arthur
Buckleyand Caner. It is probable that through the lively meetings of
this small group his imagination was fired and he began to invent
tricks.
The family moved to Pengrove. Jordan began publishing tricks at
this time. His first pubished trick, "Satan's Touch," appeared in the
April 1915 issue of Thayer's Magical Bulletin. A year later his first advertisement was published in the same magazine, and it contained a
remarkable offer. To promote a trick called "Long Distance Mindreading,"Jordan sent, on request, a deck of cards. You would shuffle the
deck, take a card and place it in one half of the deck. When you mailed
him the other half of the deck, he would name your card!
During this same period Jordan turned to fiction writing. The earliest example of his fiction I could find was a story called "The Legerdemaniacs" in the September 1916 issue of The Sphinx. Magical themes
and methods were woven into the stories, but the style and quality of
the work were not exceptional.
In 1919 he released Thirty Card Mysteries, a book that has become a
classicof card magic. The book contained a trick called "The Phantom
Aces,"which described a startling new approach to the principle of the
false count. Overlooked
for four decades, this move, now called the
Jordan Count, was to have tremendous impact on the field of card
magic when it was later rediscovered .
....
vi
Introduction
Undoubtedly, Jordan wasat the height of his creative powers during

this same period. ] n 1919 he instituted his "Special Service for Magicians"-something like a trick-of-the-month club. In 1920 he released
five booklets, a total of 50 tricks in less than a year. Tricks and manuscripts continued to flow from his pen until 1923.
Abruptly, he stopped producing new magic. He became interested in
the new field of amateur radio, but was unable to make a success of it.
By 1929he had written to T. Nelson Downs, "Am outofthe radio game
entirely now, and am turning back to the typewriter as a means of livelihood. It will take a little time of course, to break in again, but I think 1
can make the grade all right, and before long be getting a good income
out of it, as the market has widened considerably and the rates have
advanced since 1 made a fool of myself and deserted the writing game
for radio, which has proven a devil of a fiasco."
At this same time there was a fad of circulation-building gimmicks
among newspapers, which would offer cash prizes to those who could
provide the first correct solution to puzzles. Jordan was introduced to
this field by Carl Fanton and apparently was successful at it.
In 1935 Theo Annemann established contact with Jordan and arranged to reprint all of the Jordan output in a series of pamphlets. The
series did not catch on and wasdiscontin ued after six installments.
In the early 19405 Jordan washit by illness, then by a heart attack and
further illness. He died in April 1944.
Second
finger
Fourth
finger
<,
Thumb
Fingers of the hand, as referred
to in the text
Introduction
vi i
In confronting the Jordan legacy, one is immediately struck by the

astonishing range of his inventive ability, by the subtlety of his thinking and by the fact that so many of his creations have become magic
classics.Other magicians have published more, but few could match his
string of successes. Embodied in the Jordan writings are many of the
fundamental principles used in card magic today. Careful study of
these tricks is a short course in some of the best current thinking in the
field.The easiest way to demonstrate the power of Jordan's methods is
to put together a program of tricks from the pages of this book. You
willfind that you fool magicians as easily as you baffle laymen.
For this book, each of the original tricks has been completely rewritten. jordan's compressed style has been expanded to include details
that might be unfamiliar to the nontechnical reader. Where Jordan describescomplex or advanced methods, simpler alternatives have been
suggested. I use a number of Jordan's tricks and have devised handlings that suit my own manner of working. About [our dozen of these
are appended as "Notes" at the end of the appropriate tricks.
It should be noted that, although the directions given here seem to
imply that the magician is a man (the traditional manner for giving
directions in magic), they are, of course, also intended to be used by
women.
For their generous assistance in the compilation ofthis book I would
liketo thank Sam Schwartz.joseph Schmidt and William Miesel.
KARL FULVS
Contents
ImpromptuCard Tricks
I.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
II.
12.
13.
The Hourglass Card Trick

ANew Card Discovery
2
The Infallible Detection
2
"Infallible Detection"Notes
3
Forty-Nine
4
"Forty-Nine" Notes
5
The KeystoneCard Trick
5
Double Prediction
6
Mephisto's Prediction
7
The Sequel
9
Master Stop Trick
9
The Spirit Mathematician
II
The Five Guesses
13
14.
"Five Guesses" Notes
14
15. The Incomprehensible Destroyed Card

16. "Incomprehensible Destroyed Card" Notes
17. Card Tearing
18
TheBanded Deck
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25..
21
The StraitjacketReversed Card

21
Elasticity
22
The Escape
24
"Escape" Notes
27
The Triple Escape
28
The ImpossibleJourney
30
Transposition Extraordinary
31
The Downs HingeShift
33
15
17
Contents
26.
27.
The Downs Slip Cut

"Downs Slip Cut" Notes
Stacked-Deck Tricks
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
36
49
Quadruple Concentration
49
The Magi's Detection
50
"Magi's Detection" Notes
52
The Impenetrable Stop Trick
52
It's Up to You
54
Punched Card Notes
54
The Sagacious Joker
56
"Sagacious Joker" Notes
57
Impromptu Card Reader
58
Henry Gavin's False Cut
60
Sleight-of-Hand Tricks
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
34
Psycholia
36
Divino
37
"Divino" Notes
38
Psychic Prediction
39
Mephistopheles' Touch
40
The Dream
41
C. T.]. Detection
42
Ex-Cello Card Discovery
43
Strange Coincidence
44
The Wizard's Will
44
"Wizard's Will" Notes
45
Discard Trick
46
The Missing Pair
46
"Missing Pair" Notes
47
Gambling Secrets
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
34
61
Bewildero
61
Bewildero II
62
The Barefaced Detection
Color Divination
64
"Color Divination" Notes
Reversed Cards
66
Improved Pocket to Pocket
63
65
67
xi
Contents
59.
60.
61.
62.
The Single-Card Reverse

The Half-Pack Reverse
"Half-Pack Reverse"Notes
The Alternate Reverse
More Impromptu
63.
,64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
Card Tricks
The Unknown Leaper
75
Leaper" Notes
"Impromptu
79
83
Detection" Notes
84
Satan's Prophecy
86
Satan's Prophecy Improved
87
The Simplicity Speller
88
"Simplicity Speller" Notes
The Climax
90
"Climax" Notes
91
93
93
1923 Card and Handkerchief
95
The Spirit Aces
97
The Brain Twister
98
Diabolical ReversedCard
101
Joker Monte
102
"Joker Monte" Notes
103
Pedro Monte
104
The Demon Color Change
105
"Demon Color Change" Notes
106
The Bisected Queen
The Monarch-Card-and-Pocket Mystery
110
The Contrary Clock
112
"Contrary Clock"Notes
Shuffle Systems
90.
91.
75
76
77
With the Mind's Eye
The Twentieth-Century Puzzle
80
Weirdo
82
The Fade-Out Vanish
82
An Impromptu Detection
"Unknown
Prepared-Card Tricks
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
68
71
72
72
114
A Shuffle Secret
114
Close- Range Mind Reading
115
107
xii
Contents
\.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
Long-Distance Mind Reading

116
The Premo
118
The Dealing Dovetail Detection
119
"Dealing Dovetail Detection" Notes
121
The Rolling-Off-a-Log Detection
121
"Rolling-Off-a-Log Detection" Notes
122
The Full Hand
123
"Full Hand" Notes
124
The Wonder Force
125
Improved Chevalier Card Trick
126
Thought Foretold
127
Premier Card Discovery
128
The Simplissirno Detection
128
Four-Ace Tricks
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
The Perennial Aces

130
"Perennial Aces" Notes
132
The Amazing Aces
133
The Bewitched Aces
135
"Bewitched Aces" Notes
135
The Pinochle Ace Trick
136
Leave It to the Aces
138
"Leave It to the Aces" Notes
139
Mystery Aces
140
"Mystery Aces" Notes
142
Subtle Secrets
115.
116.
117.
118.
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.
126.
127.
130
143
New Card Reading

143
"New Card Reading" Notes
144
Stampedo
145
The New-Pack Detection
147
The Lifesaver
148
Coincidentally
149
"Coincidentally" Notes
151
Transfero
152
"Transfero" Notes
154
The Master Riddle
155
Satan's Trance
156
"Satan's Trance" Notes
158
Telepathic Control
159
Contents
More Stacked-Deck
128.
129.
130.
131.
132.
133.
134.
135.
136.
137.
138.
139.
140.
141.
142.
143.
144.
145.
Tricks
xiii
160
Diabolical Transposition
160
161
"Diabolical Transposition" Notes
162
Fate and the Joker
163
An Odd-Even Experiment
164
The Mysterious Detective
165
Take-a-Peek Card Trick
The' Flush Trick
166
167
Poker Player'sDream
168
The Poker Shark
170
The Vanished Card
171
"Vanished Card" Notes
172
Prophesied Spot Total
173
"Prophesied Spot Total" Notes
173
Cremo Card Restoration
174
Demon's Divination
175
"Demon's Divination" Notes
176
The Card-and-Number Mystery
176
Extraordinary Clairvoyance
Strippers and One-Way Decks
178
146. Stripper Secrets

178
147. Just the Reverse
179
148. The Four Flusher
181
149. Perfection Methodfor Strippers
182
\50. "Perfection Method for Strippers" Notes
151. The Electrified Strippers
184
152. "Electrified Strippers" Notes
185
153, One-Way Secrets
186
154. The Wizard Reader,
187
155. "Wizard Reader"Notes
188
156. The Hummer Detection
189
157. "Hummer Detection"Notes
190
158. Incomprendo Speller
191
159. "Incomprendo Speller" Notes
192
160. Mephistopheles' Own
194
161. ' Faces or Backs-Which?
195
162, Premo Detection
196
163. "Premo Detection"Notes
196
164. The Trio
197
183
xiv
Contents
165.
166.
Twentieth-Century Sorcery
Change Your Mind?
199
Further Impromptu Card Tricks

167.
168.
169.
170.
171.
172.
173.
174.
175.
176.
177.
178.
179.
180.
218
The Nine-in-Ten Detection

218
The UtilityPack
219
"Utility Pack" Notes
220
The Latest Forcing Deck
221
"Latest Forcing Deck" Notes
222
The MysteryProblem
222
The Latest Haunted Ace
224
One Ahead
224
Poker Shark II
226
The Idol's Vision
227
Reverse English on the X-Ray
228
Spelling Any Card Called For
229
A Jordan Card Routine

193.
194.
195.
196.
197.
201
Etad-ot-Pu
201
The O.K.X-Ray
203
The Banner Card Discovery
204
The Haunted Deck
205
SympatheticSympathy
208
The 52-Card Trick
210
Presto Pass
212
"Presto Pass" Notes
212
A NovelForce
213
The StabbedPair
213
The SuitsUnscrambled
214
Demon's Detection
216
"Demon's Detection" Notes
216
Satan's Touch
217
More Prepared-Card Tricks

181.
182.
183.
184.
185.
186.
187.
188.
189.
190.
191.
192.
198
The
The
The
The
The
231
Inseparable Aces
231
ReadyReckoner
232
Pair Detection
233
Dead-EasyLocation
234
Nifty Key
235
Contents
The Ever Ready Principle
236
198. Spook Card

236
199. Ultimo
237
200. The ReversedCard
239
201. WholesaleReversals
240
202. Mind Reading
240
203. The SpellingTrick
241
204. . A Unique Reverse
242
243
205. "Unique Reverse" Notes
243
206. Speakingof Pink Elephants
The Jordan Count

207.
208.
209.
210.
211.
247
The Phantom Aces

Jordan Count Notes
Red-Black Mix-Up
1ndetecto
250
The Haxton Count
247
249
250
251
xv
Impromptu Card Tricks,

The tricks in this chapter can be done with a borrowed deck. There is
littleor no preparation
and the tricks virtually work by themselves. The
effects include easy card locations, impromptu predictions and a novel
torn and restored card routine.
1. The Hourglass Card Trick

This trick is a swindle from start to finish. A simple placement IS
combined with an audacious location of the chosen card. At no time
does the magician touch the deck. The effect contains the odd
constraint that it can be performed only at certain times of the day.
A spectator shuffles his own pack and removes any six cards. From
these he selects-one for himself. He takes the balance of the deck and
deals it into two face-down heaps, dealing a card alternately on each
heap until he has dealt all the cards. The spectator places the chosen
card on either heap. Then he places the remaining five cards on either
heap. Finally. he places the heap that does not contain the chosen card
on top of the other heap. The chosen card has thus been buried in the
middleof the pack. It appears to be hopelessly lost but, in fact, it lies
twenty-ninth from the top ofthe deck.
Glance at your watch and announce the time as, for example, 3:26.
The spectator adds the number of the hour to the number of minutes
(in this example 3 + 26) to get 29. Then he counts down to the
twenty-ninth card and finds that it is his card.
The trick must be performed at thes: times:
1:28
2:27
3:26
4:25
5:24
6:23
7:22
8:21
9:20
10:19
11:18
12:17
Rather than take a chance that the spectator might miscall the time,
glance at the watch, letting him see the time, then call out whichever of
the appropriate times given above it happens to be. When the spectator
adds the numbers and counts down to that number, he finds his card.
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
2. A New Card Discovery

Although it is generally believedthat a riffle shuffle or dovetailshuffle
will hopelessly mix the cards, this trick illustrates how a controlled'
outcome can be brought about. The trick is not surefire but a clever
method is provided that allows you bring the trick to a successful
conclusionevery time.
.
A spectator removes any card from the deck, looks at it and places it
on top of the deck. He cuts the deck and completes the cut. He may
givethe deck several straight cuts. Then he gives the decka dovetail or
riffle shuffle and another cut. The shuffled deck is handed to the
performer. He looks through the deck and immediately finds the
chosen card.
Method: Secretly note the top and bottom cards of the pack. We will
assume the top card is the A and the bottom card the A. The
spectator removes any card from the deck, looks at it and places it on
top of the deck. Then he cuts the deck at about the middle and
completesthe cut, The chosen card is now between the red aces.
Cut about a quarter of the deck from top to bottom. Then have the
spectator cut at about the midpoint and riffle or dovetail shuffle the
two halvesof the deck together. If you are not sure of the difference
between these shuffles, refer to Figure 12 I. After the shuffle, the
spectator can give the deck further cuts.
It appears as if his card is hopelessly lost in the pack, but in fact it is
still between the red aces. Further, there are probably no other cards
between the red aces. Take the deck from him, locate the red aces and
remove the card between them.
On occasion you may find two or more cards between the red aces.
Cut allof these cards to the top of the deck. Place the deck behind your
back. Remove two cards from the bottom of the pack plus one card
from the top. Ask if the chosen card is among them. If so, you know
which it is since it must be the one you removed from the top of the
pack. If not, discard these three cards and remove three more, one
from the top and two from the bottom. Proceed in this way until you
arrive at the chosen card. There willseldom be more than two or three
cards between the aces, so the trick is quickly brought to a successful
conclusion.
3. The Infallible Detection

The magicianshuffles a borrowed deck of cards and hands the deck to
a spectator for further shuffling. While the magician turns his back or
leaves the room, the spectator deals any number of cards from ten to
Impromptu
CardTricks
20 off the top of the deck, notes the next card and places the dealt
packeton top.
Returning to the room, the magician picks up the deck, removes a
cardand places it in his pocket. The spectator looks through the deck
and finds that his card is gone. He then removes his card from the
magician'spocket.
Method: When you first shuffle the deck, note the top card. Hand the
deck to someone who you know shuffles the deck dovetail fashion.
Watchwhile he gives the deck a shuffle.
In some cases the card you noted will remain on top after the
shuffle.In other cases one or two cards will fall on top of the noted
card.Simply remember how many cards fall on top of your noted card.
The spectator deals a packet of cards onto the table after you turn
yourback. Then he notes the top card of the deck and replaces the
dealtpacket onto his card. This places the key card directly above his
chosencard. Simply go through the deck, find his card and drop it into
yourpocket.
If one card fell onto your noted card as a result of the spectator's
shuffle,the spectator's card willbe the second down from the key card
whenyou look through the deck. If two cards fell onto the key card
duringthe spectator's shuffle, the spectator's card will be third down
fromthe key card.
4. "Infallible Detection" Notes

The principles of "A New Card Discovery" and "The Infallible
Detection"can be combined as follows. Place the. A on top of the
deck,the tftA twenty-sixth from the top, the. A twenty-seventh from
thetop and the'" A on the bottom of the deck.
Splitthe deck between the "'A and the A. Place the two packets
sidebyside on the table. There is now an ace on the top and bottom of
eachhalf of the deck. Turn your back. Have the spectator shuffle the
twohalves of the deck together. Unknown to the spectator, there must
be an ace on both the top and bottom of the deck after the shuffle.
The spectator jots down a number between 10 and 20 on a slip of
paper, folds the paper and places it in his pocket. He deals off that
number of cards from the top of the deck. Then he looks at the top
cardof the remainder of the deck and replaces that card on top of the
deck.The dealt packet is placed on top of his card. Finally,he gives the
decka cut and completes the cut.
Take the deck and hold it so you can see the faces. With the aid of
the left thumb, push cards from left to right, beginning at the face of
the deck. Eventually you willcome to a red ace. Whichever red ace you
get to first, the card directly to the right of it is the chosen card. Pocket
thiscard.
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Beginning with the card immediately to the left of this red ace, count
the number of cards up to and including the first black ace you come
to. This number is the number the spectator chose when he dealt cards
off the top of the deck.
Have the spectator look through the deck for his card. When he
finds it is not there, have him remove it from your pocket. Then
remind him that he has a slip of paper in his pocket with a number
written on it. Appear to be concentrating, then reveal the number.
5. Forty-Nine
In this trick, the cards remain in the spectator's hands from start to .
finish. The trick is based on a well-concealed mathematical principle.
The spectator discards three cards from his deck, leaving him with
49 cards. He notes and remembers any card among those he holds.
Then he deals the cards into seven face-up heaps, dealing from left to
right, one card at a time. He announces which pile contains his card,
counting from left to right. The mentalist, whose back is turned, says
that he thought so. Then he has the spectator
pick up the heaps by
placing the seventh heap (i.e., the heap farthest to the right) on top of
the sixth, the combined heap on top of the fifth, these on the fourth
and so on.
To make certain that he has a dear mental impression of the
spectator's card, the mentalist has the spectator
deal the face-down
pack into seven face-up heaps once more, dealing, as before, one card
at a time from left to right. Again the spectator names the pile that
contains his thought-of card. The mentalist says that now he is certain
of the identity of the chosen card.
The spectator collects the heaps in order from right to left as before.
He turns the pack face down and begins dealing cards off the top.
After several cards have been dealt, the mentalist tells him to stop. The
card stopped at proves to be the chosen card.
The above description
is the exact effect. From start to finish, the
mentalist never t.ouches the cards.
Method: The method is based on a simple calculation. The packet that
cont~in~ the chosen card on the first deal tells you the position of his
card In Its packet on the second deal. If for example his card was in the
fifth packet on the first deal, it will be fifth from the top of its packet at
the end of the second deal. If his card was in the first packet after the
first deal, it will be on top of its face-up packet at the end of the second
deal.
.
When the spectator announces which heap contains his card after
th~ second deal, ~~ke one l~ss than this number and multiply it by 7. To
this add the posruon of his card after the first deal. The result is the
present location of his card after the deck has been assembled.
Impromptu Card Tricks
For example, say his card wasin the third heap on the first deal and
the fifth heap on the second deal. The spectator then collectsthe heaps
from right to left as described above. To determine the location of his
card in the assembled deck, proceed as follows. Take one less than the
second number and multiply it by 7. In this case we have 5 - I = 4,
and 4 X 7 = 28. To this add the position of his heap on the first deal.
Sinceit was in the third heap on the first deal, we have 28 + 3 = 31.
Thus you know that after the deck has been assembled at the finish of
the second deal, his card will lie thirty-first from the top of the
face-down deck. The spectator deals cards off the top. When he has
dealt 31 cards, call a stop. The lastcard dealt will be the chosen card.
As another example, assume his card was in the second heap on the
first deal and the sixth heap on the second deal. Take 6 - 1 = 5, and
multiply 5 X 7 = 35. To this add 2 and you know that when the deck
has been assembled, his card willbe thirty-seventh from the top of the
pack.
6. "Forty-Nine" Notes
A simple way to do the trick is to perform it over the telephone. Have
the spectator deal the heaps out twice as described above. If his card
wasin the fifth heap on the first deal it will be fifth from the top of its
face-up heap on the second deal. After he has dealt the cards out the
second time, have him pick up the heap containing his card and call
out the cards to you one at a time from top to bottom. When he calls
out the fifth card, remember it. Wait for him to finish. Then reveal the
card in a dramatic way and hang up the phone.
7. The Keystone Card Trick

A card is chosen and returned to the deck. One spectator picks a
number, counts down to that card, but does not find the chosen card.
Another spectator picks a number, counts down that many cards, but
does not find the chosen card either.
Finally, another spectator takes the difference between the two
numbers, counts down that many cards, and is surprised to find the
chosen card.
Method: As you fan the deck for the selection of a card, push the ten
top cards farther to the right than the others. Lift these ten cards for
the replacement of the chosen card. The chosen card is now eleventh
down from the top of the deck.
Say,"I want one of you to count several cards off the pack like this."
As you patter, deal 11 cards onto the table, dealing the cards one at a
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
time into a face-down heap on the table. Replace them on top of the
pack. Unknown to the audience, the chosen card is now on top of the
deck.
Hand the pack to the first spectator and turn your back. Have him
think of a number and deal that number of cards onto the table. When
he has counted off the thought-of number, ask him to look at the last
card he dealt off to see if it is the chosen card. Of course it will not be.
Tell him to deal off an additional card and look at it. This card is not
the chosen card either. He puts this card on the dealt heap. Ask him to
replace the dealt cards on top of the deck.
Have a second party think of a number larger than the first
spectator's number by at least 2. He deals off that many cards into a
heap on the table. The last card dealt is looked at. It is not the chosen
card. The dealt packet is replaced on top of the deck.
The third spectator is now asked to take the difference between the
two numbers. If the first number was 8 and the second number was 18,
he would get a difference of 10. He counts ten cards off the top of the
deck, turns up the last dealt card and it is the chosen card.
8. DoublePrediction
This card effect has attracted a great deal of attention because you
reveal the location of each of two freely chosen cards with absolutely
no secret information. You never know the identity of the cards, nor
their original positions in the packet, yet you invariably bring the trick
to a successful conclusion.
Twenty-one cards are used. A spectator is asked to remove any card
from the packet. This card is to serve as a locator card. The spectator
inserts the locator card anywhere in the packet. He then remembers
the card on one side of the locator. Another spectator remembers the
card on the other side of the locator.
Write "5-5" on a slip of paper and place the paper on the table.
Then take back the packet from the spectator. Transfer cards one at a
time from the left hand to the right hand as follows. Jog the first card
up, then jog the next card down, then jog the next card up, jog the
next down and so on, Figure 1, until you have gone through the
packet. The order of the cards is not disturbed. Cards are jogged in
place.
Strip out the upper packet and place it on top of the lower packet.
Th~n perform the same upjog-down-jog
maneuver and strip-out
agam. Hold the cards so the faces are toward the audience at the
conclusion of the mixing process. Fan the cards. Ask the spectator to
remove the locator card. When he does, cut the packet at that point
and complete the cut. Turn the packet face down.
Have the spectator cut off about half the packet and place it on the
table. Then ask him to Count the number of cards in the remainder.
Hecounts the cards in this group one at a time into a heap on the table,
thusreversing their order. At the completion of the deal, each chosen
cardwillbe fifth from the top of its packet.
Havethe prediction read. The prediction numbers are 5 and 5. Each
personcounts down to the fifth card in his packet. These cards prove
to be the chosen cards.
jordan suggested that after the locator card is removed, you can
slidethe top card of the upper section to the bottom of the lower
section.Then one card will be fourth from the top and the other card
sixthfrom the bottom. In this case you would write "4-6" on the slip of
paper instead of "5-5" and then proceed with the trick as described
above.
DaiVernon does the trick the same way Jordan described it, but he
hasadded a clever idea for the ending. The slip of paper reads "5-6."
Atthe finish when the locator card has been removed and the packet
cutat that point, there is a chosen card five down from the top of the
packet and another chosen card five up from the bottom. Vernon
COuntsoff the top ten cards without reversing their order and places
this packet alongside the remaining H-eard packet on the table. The
paper is now opened and read. One chosen card will be found fifth
from the top of the first packet. The other chosen card will be found
sixthfrom the top of the other pack.et.
The trick. can-be done with 20 cards plus the joker. The joker is the
locatorcard. To keep the effect clear, have the joker inserted face up
into the face-down packet. After the two shuffles, the joker can be
found merely by spreading the cards between the hands. Simply cut
the packet and complete the cut so that the joker is on top of the
packet Deal it off, then proceed with the rest of the trick.
9. Mephislo's Prediction
In this self-working mystery a randomly chosen card is brought to a
knownposition in the deck by a subtle means. As seen by the audience,
the magician writes a number on ~ slip of paper. Then the spectator
..
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
inserts the joker into the middle of the deck and remembers the card
directly above it. The joker remains in the deck:
.
He then deals the cards into four heaps, dealing from left to nght, a
card at a time, until he has dealt the entire deck. The heaps are picked
up from right to left, the fourth heap going on top of the third, then
this combined heap going onto the second, and this combmed heap
going onto the first.
The joker is removed. The spectator reads the paper. It bears the
number 11. He counts down to the eleventh card and it is his card.
The trick may be repeated immediately. The same procedure Isused, but the chosen card ends up at a different number.
Method: The spectator inserts the joker into the deck and notes the
card directly above it. Then the deck is dealt into four heaps and
reassembled as described above. You explain that dealing the cards
mixesthem better than any shuffle. After the deck has been reassembled, spread or fan the cards from left to right with the faces toward
the spectator. Have him remove the joker. Break the deck at the point
from which the joker was removed. After the deck has been broken or
separated, transfer two cards from the top of the lower heap in the left
hand to the face or bottom of the upper heap in the right hand.
Place the left-hand packet on top of the right-hand packet. The
chosen card is now eleventh from the top of the deck.
The repeat makes use of a subtle variation of the pick-up. Instead of
picking up the dealt packets from right to left, pick them up from left
to right. Have the joker removed from the deck. Break or separate the
deck at the point from which the joker was removed. Then run two
cards from the top of the left-hand portion to the bottom of the
right-hand portion. Place the left-hand packet on the right-hand
packet.The chosen card willbe thirty-eighth from the top of the deck.
To make it easier for the spectator to find the joker, have the
spectator insert the joker face up into the face-down deck. Later, when
you want to remove the joker from the deck, spread the cards face
down from left to right.
Remember that the joker must be inserted near the middle of the
pack. Ifthe spectator inserts it near either end of the deck, the chosen
card willend up twelfth from the top instead of eleventh. In the event
this happens, it is easily covered in the presentation. After the
spectator COunts 1) cards, if his card is not the eleventh have him turn
over the top card of the deck and it will be his card.
The entire trick may be done with the cards in the spectator's hands.
write the number 12 on a slip of paper. Have a face-upjoker inserted
into the center of the deck. The spectator notes the card above the
joker. He then deals the deck into four heaps from left to right, and
gathers them from right to left. Then he spreads the deck and cuts the
Joker to the top. The joker is discarded. He reads the prediction, deals
off
12cards
from the top of the deck and turns Overthe next card. It
willbe
his card.
10. The Sequel

Jordan suggested using this trick as a sequel to "Mephisto's Prediction."
After doing the previous trick, discard the spectator's card from the
pack, saying it might adversely influence the feat you are about to do.
This reduces the deck to 52 cards including the joker. On a slip of
paper write the numbers 10and 16, fold the paper and place it aside.
The spectator inserts the joker into the deck and notes the card
directly above the joker. He also remembers the card directly below the
joker. He then deals the deck into four heaps, dealing from left to
right. Pick up the packets from right to left as in the previous trick.
Fan the deck with 'the faces toward the spectator. Have him remove
the joker. Break the deck at the point where the joker was removed
and transfer three cards from the top of the left-hand packet to the
bottom of the right-hand packet. Then cut the deck at this point and
complete the cut.
Place the deck on the table. Have the spectator cut off about half and
place this packet aside. Then have him count the cards in the bottom
half. He does this by dealing the cards one at a time into a heap on the
table, thus reversing their order.
Have the slip of paper opened and read. The spectator deals ten
cards off the top of the upper half and finds one chosen card. Then he
deals 16 cards off the top of the other half and finds the other chosen
card.
11. Master Stop Trick

Four cards are chosen and returned to the deck. The spectator then
deals the deck into four heaps and gathers the heaps in any order.
Cards are dealt off the top of the deck. The magician calls stop. The
next card proves to be the selected card. The magiciancorrectly stops
the deal at the second and third chosen cards, each time saying- stop
just before the chosen card is dealt.
He has trouble with the fourth chosen card. When its identity is
made known by the spectator, the magician says, "No wonder I
couldn't tell you where to stop. That card isn't in the pack at all." The
card is then produced from the magician's pocket.
Method: Use any borrowed complete deck of 52 cards. Glimpse the
bottom card. This card will serve as your key card. Have four cards
chosen from the deck. When the four cards have been withdrawn,
grasp the deck from above with the right hand. Count 13 cards from
the bottom by releasing them, one at a time, from the right thumb and
cut them to the top.
10
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
SCONO
"'" C"iRD
Fig. 2
If you do not use the thumb count, simply spread the deck between
the hands, silently count 13cards from the bottom, and cut the deck at
that point. Still another method is to glimpse the card thirt.eent~ from
the top of the deck prior to performance. I n any case, at this pOInt you
know the identity of the thirteenth card from the top.
Cut off about half the cards. Take the top half in the left hand. Have
the first chosen card replaced on top of the left-hand packet. Then
place the other half on top of all but secure a left-little-finger break
between the packets as you do so.
Spread the cards between the hands. When you get to the break,
push four cards over and havethe second chosen card returned at that
point.
The thumb pushes over three more cards. The third chosen card is
then returned at that point. The thumb then pushes over three more
cards. The fourth chosen card is returned at that point. The situation
showing the chosen cards and the key card is indicated in Figure 2.
Square the deck and hand it to anyone, requesting him to deal it into
four face-down heaps, a card at a time to each heap. When he has done
this, the four chosen cards willlie together in one of the heaps, and the
key card will be directly above the chosen cards.
Have the heaps assembled in any order. Now ask the spectator to
deal cards one at a time off the top of the deck, turning each face up as
he deals. As he deals, remark that you will show him an interesting
experiment in telepathy.
He deals until he turns up the key card. Suddenly stop him, saying
that you want to make the experiment more difficult. He does not
know it but the four chosen cards are on top of the deck at this point.
Pick up the dealt cards and have him place them on the bottom of the
deck. Then tell him to deal the cards into four heaps, a card at a time to
each. At the finish there will be a chosen card at the bottom of each
face-down heap. Have him assemble the heaps in any order.
Now have him take four or five cards from the top of the pack. You
~ust know the number. We'l! assume he took five cards. Lift up
slightlymore than halfthe pack and have the five cards placed into the
pack at that point.
The first chosen card was 13th from the top, but since he removed
l__
11
five cards from the top, the first card now lies eighth (13 - 5 ~ 8)
from the top of the pack. The second card is thirteenth down from
that card. The third chosen card is thirteenth down from that plus the
five cards the spectator inserted into the pack, making it eighteenth
down from the second chosen card. The last chosen card is on the
bottom of the deck.
Hold the deck in the left hand. Take cards with the right hand one at
a time as you deal off the top. Toss the eighth card to one side. Ask
someone to turn it up to verify that it is one of the chosen cards. As he
does, secretly thumb off the bottom card into the jacket pocket.
Hand the deck to a spectator. Have him deal. Stop him on the
thirteenth card and show that it is one of the chosen cards. He
continues to deal. Stop him after he has dealt 18cards, again showing
that you have stopped him at a chosen card. Finally, pretend to have
trouble with the last card. Ask that it be named. Then produce it from
your pocket.
The trick can be made easier if, when you reach the point where the
four chosen cards are on top of the deck, you take the deck from the
spectator and ask him to shuffle the packet he just dealt onto the table.
As he does, thumb offthe top three cards of the deck into the pocket.
These are three of the four chosen cards.
He replaces the dealt packet on top of the deck. Since you mentally
counted the number of cards in this packet as he dealt them off into a
face-up heap, you know the location of the first chosen card.
Have the spectator deal cards until he has dealt this number. Say
stop. He turns up the next card and it is one of the chosen cards. Have
him shuffle the balance of the deck and deal more cards. Stop him
after he's dealt nine or ten cards. Take the next card and place it in
your pocket. Do the same thing twice more. When you apparently
remove the three cards from your pocket you actually remove the
three chosen cards secretly placed there earlier. All that remains is to
have the spectators verify that these are indeed their cards.
12. The Spirit Mathematician

This trick is one of the few published instances where the paths of
Jordan and Arthur Findleyseem to have crossed.
From a pack of ordinary cards the performer takes about half and
drops this packet into his jacket pocket. The pocket has previously
been shown empty. The spectator with the other half of the deck looks
through his cards. and names any card. Say he names the .6.
The performer reaches into his pocket, removes a card, and it is a
Spade, matching the suit of the spectator's card. Then he reaches into
12
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
~
/
"r CARDS.
Fig. 3
his pocket and removes one or two cards. It is seen that the sum of the
valuesof these cards exactly matches the value of the spectator's card.
Only a borrowed pack is used.
Method: When you first get the deck, look through it to see if there are
anyjokers. As you do, place an ace, a 2, a 4 and an 8 on the bottom of
the pack. These four cards must be of different suits. As an example,
they might be the <lOA,.2, "'4 and. 8.
Anyone cuts off about half the deck and shuffles his cards. As he
does, hold the lower portion of the face-down pack in the left hand.
Bring the right hand over it and release the bottom four cards with the
right thumb, Figure 3. Then take this packet from above with the right
hand, fingers at the outer end, thumb at the inner end, the thumb
maintaining the break above the bottom four cards. These four cards
are the ace, 2, 4 and 8.
The shuffled portion is taken back from the spectator with the left
hand. Turn to the left for the purpose of handing the unshuffled
portion to a spectator. As you do, the hands come together, enabling
you undetected to drop the four cards below the right thumb break
onto the top of the left-hand packet. The left-hand packet is immediately placed in the jacket pocket. The other half of the deck is given to
the spectator.
The top four cards of the packet in the jacket pocket are in a known
order. The crux of the method is that you can bring forth any suit
calledout and, by the proper combination of cards, you can bring out a
group of cards that will total any value between I and 13.
If the spectator names the .A, first bring out the Club card, then
return it to the pocket. Next bring out the ace. Thus you have matched
the suit and the value of the card named by the spectator.
If he names the .5, first bring out the Diamond (.8 in our
example), and then return it to the pocket. Then bring out the ace and
the 4. The values totalS, thus matching the value ofthe card named by
the spectator.
In our example the spectator named the. 6. First remove the Spade
(.A in our example), showing that you removed a card of the suit
named by the spectator. Return the Spade to the pocket. Then remove
the 2 and the 4. The values total 6, so you have matched the value of
the card named by the spectator.
13
13. The Five Guesses

From a borrowed shuffled deck the spectator removes any card,
remembers it and shuffles it back into the deck. Taking the deck, the
wizard says that, given fiveguesses, he can locate the card. He deals the
deck into two heaps, one face up and the other face down. He asks if
the chosen card is in the face-up heap. If it is, he removes a card from
that heap as his first guess. If it is not, he removes a card from the
other heap as his first guess. If he is right and the card he removes is
the chosen card, the trick ends there.
Otherwise. the cards are gathered. the deck freely shuffled, and
once again dealt into two heaps. The procedure is repeated as often as
necessary. The performer will always find the chosen card on or
before the fifth guess.
Method: The dealing procedure incorporates a process of elimination
in a subtle way. Hold the deck so you can see the facesof the cards. On
the first deal the odd Spades and Hearts and the even Clubs and
Diamonds are dealt into a face-up heap. The balance of the deck is
dealt into a face-down heap. Ask if the chosen card is in the face-up
heap. If the answer is yes, you know the chosen card is one of those 26
cards. Otherwise you know it is one of the 26 cards in the other half of
the deck. The point is that you have eliminated half the deck on this
round. On the' subsequent four rounds you will eliminate all but one
card by using exactly the same procedure.
After the cards have been dealt the first time, remove any card from
the.heap that contains the chosen card. I f you are wrong, gather all the
cards into a face-down deck and give the deck a few shuffles.
Again deal into two heaps, one face-up and the other face-down. If
the card was in the face-up heap on the first round, deal odd Spades
and Hearts into the face-up heap. Deal even Clubs and Diamonds into
the face-down heap on the second round. The balance of the deck is
dealt randomly to both heaps.
On the other hand, if the chosen card was originally in the
face-down heap on the first round, deal all even Spades and Hearts
into the face-up heap on the second round, odd Clubs and Diamonds
into the face-down heap. The balance of the deck is dealt randomly
into the two heaps.
Ask if the chosen card is in the face-up heap. Whatever the reply, the
chosen card must now be one of 13 cards. Remove one of these 13
cards from the pile containing the chosen card. If you are wrong, you
nevertheless know if the chosen card is odd or even, and you know it
must be one of 12 cards. Further. you know if the card is a Spade or a
Heart, or if it is a Club or a Diamond. For example, if the spectator said
his card was in the face-up heap on the first two rounds, you know the
card is odd and that it must be a Spade or Heart. You do not know
which suit, but the third deal answers that question.
14
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Gather the cards and give the deck a shuffle. We will assume the
chosen card was in the face-up packet on the second round ".On the
third round, deal the deck into two heaps. The odd Spades go Into the
face-up heap. The odd Hearts go ~nto the face-down ~e~p. The rest of
the deck is dealt randomly. Ask If the chosen card IS III the face-up
heap. If the answer is yes, you know the card must be an odd Spade.
Remove one of these cards and ask if it is the chosen card. If the
spectator says his card is in the other heap, the chosen card must be an
odd Heart. Remove one of the odd Hearts and ask if this is the chosen
card.
If the answer is no on the third round, gather the deck and give it a
good shuffle. You now know that the chosen card was,for example, an
odd Heart. Deal the. A, .3 and. 5 into the face-downheap. Deal
the. 7, .9, J and. K into the face-up heap. The rest of the deck is
divided randomly between the two heaps. Ask if the chosen card is in
the face-up heap. If the answer is yes, remove anyone of the odd
Hearts and ask if it is the chosen card. Assume you guess the .7.
For the purpose of this example, we will assume the answer is no.
Gather the deck, shuffle the cards and again deal into two heaps. Deal
the .9 and J into the face-up heap, the K into the face-down
heap. The rest of the deck is divided between the two heaps. Ask if the
chosen card is in the face-up heap. If the answer is no, you know the
chosen card must be the. K.Otherwise, remove the .9 and ask if it is
the chosen card. If it is, the trick is over. Otherwise you know the card
is the. j, and conclude the trick successfully on the fifth round.
It is only on the first round that all 52 cards must be dealt into their
proper heaps. Thereafter, at least half the deck is dealt randomly,
meaning that the deal can be done rapidly. Since so many cards are
dealt randomly on each round, anyone looking for a system must come
up blank. Finally, note that it is not necessary to have the spectator
choose a card. He can simply think of a card. You then proceed to find
the thought-of card within fiveguesses.
14. "FiveGuesses" Notes

The principle used in this trick might be better grasped by showing an
example of how it works. Take any 16 cards from the deck. Fan them
and have the spectator think of one. When he has done this, shuffle
the 16cards, then reverse every other card.
Spread the packet so he can see the faces of eight cards. Ask him if
he sees his thought-of card. If he does, square up the packet, place it
behind your back, take the top eight cards and turn them over. Then
place them on the bottom of the packet. If, when you fanned the
packet, he did not see his card among the eight face-up cards, place the
packet behind the back, turn it completely over, then remove the first
eight cards, turn them over and replace them under the packet.
15
Bring the packet out into view again. Spread the cards and ask if he
sees his card. If he does, place the packet behind the back, lift off the
top four cards, turn them over as a unit, and replace them under the
packet. If he does not see his card, place the packet behind the back,
turn it completely over, then take the first four cards, turn them over
and replace them under the packet.
Bring the packet into view again. Spread the cards so the spectator
can see the faces of the eight face-up cards. Ask if he sees his card. If
he does, place the packet behind the back, take the top two cards, turn
them 'Over and replace them on the bottom of the packet. If he does
not, turn the packet over first, then take the top two cards, turn them
over as a unit and replace them on the bottom of the packet.
Bring the packet into viewa final time. Ask if he sees his card. If he
does, it is the card second in from the top of the packet. If he does not,
it is the second card from the bottom of the packet.
Note that with a 16-card packet we had to ask four times if the
spectator saw his card. In "The Five Guesses," five questions were
required' to narrow the choice from 52 cards to a single card. The
reason is that Jordan did not ask one question on each round. He
asked two. First he asked if the spectator saw his card in the packet
shown to him. Then he removed a card from the appropriate packet
and asked the spectator if this was his card. By this clever means he
allows the spectator a choice from among the full complement of 52
cards.
15. The Incomprehensible Destroyed Card

Simple props " and natural handling are combined to produce a baffling
trick. The only requirement is a deck of cards. You may want to use an
old deck since cards are going to be torn. As the audience sees it, a
freely chosen card is torn in quarters with the face of the card toward
the audience. That same card is then restored.
There are no gimmicks or duplicate cards, but a duplicate card is'
created in a subtle waythat cannot be detected.
Method: With the shuffled deck face up in the left hand, go through
the pack, apparently counting the cards to make sure the deck is
complete. In reality you watch for all the fi's, 7's and 8's, and run them
to the back or top of the deck as you come to them. This done, place
the deck face down in the left hand ..The top 12 cards are the B's, 7's
and S's.
Ask the spectator to name a number from 1 to 12. Whatever the
number, deal down to it, remove the card at that number and turn it
face up on the table. Pickup the dealt cards and replace them on top of
the deck. You will find a near-duplicate of his card in the following
way. If he chose a 6-spot or an 8-spot, find the 7 of the same suit and
16
Charles Jordan's- Best Card Tricks
Fig. 4
cut it to the bottom of the deck. If he chose a 7-spot, cut the 8 of the
same suit to the bottom. In our example we will assume he chose the
"'7. Cut the "'8 to the bottom of the pack.
Cut the deck into two heaps. Take back the chosen card and place it
on the face or bottom of the lower heap. The.7
willthus be the face
card of the heap with the "'8 in back of it.
Turn this packet face up and hold it in the left hand. The right
thumb lifts up the two face cards as shown in Figure 4, and slides the
double card forward so it is outjogged. The audience thinks you are
merelyjogging the "'7. The odd center pip of the "'7 should be at the
outer end, as shown in Figure 4.
Placethis heap face down on top of the other heap. The double card
now projects from the center of the deck. Turn the deck face up and
hold it firmly in the left hand. The right hand then tears off the index
corner of both cards as if they were one. Hand the genuine .7 index
to the spectator, retaining the"'8 index palmed in the hand. Drop the
.8 index into the pocket.
Turn the deck face down. Appear to remove the .7, but in reality,
push it back into the pack and remove the .8 instead, Figure 5. Place
the deck on the table. Hold the "'8 in the left hand with the fingers at
the face hiding the index corner and the extra pip, Figure 6. The
result is that this card looksexactly like the'" 7.
Take the corner from the spectator and fit it against the card in
hand. The corner fits, thus providing further proofthat this card is the
"'7.
Tear the
in half across the middle. Place the portion with the
index behind the other part, of the torn card. This hides the index
from view and allows you to display the torn pieces freely. Then tear
the card in half again. Pretend to place the pieces in the left hand. but
retain them in the right hand. An easy method isto hold the pieces on
the right palm, Figure 7. The left hand pretends to take them. As the
left h~nd moves aw~y it closesinto a fist. The right fingers curl around
the pieces and the nght forefinger points to the left hand, Figure 8, as
the left hand moves to the left. The right hand then drops the pieces
into the right jacket pocket.
"'8
l__
.8
III
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
17
With the right hand cut the deck at the real ~7. This is easy to do
because the torn card acts as a corner-short card. Pretend to drop the
torn pieces into the deck at this point. Hand the deck to the spectator.
Have him look through the cards. He finds that the 47 is now
restored. One corner is missing and, of course, this matches the .7
index corner in his possession.
16. "Incomprehensible Destroyed Card" Notes

These are handling ideas the reader may wish to add to "The
Incomprehensible Destroyed Card." After the .8 has been torn into
quarters, place the torn pieces on the table. Place the deck face down in
the left hand. The right hand lifts it up at the inner end of the deck,
separating the deck at the .7. As noted earlier, this is easy to do
because the lower left corner of the" 7 is missing. Hold the deck open
with the left hand.
__________
...:.....i'
/4
18
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 9
Fig. lOA
Fig.108
Fig.11
The right hand picks up the pieces of the ... 8 and pretends to insert
them into the break. Actually they go under the deck, Into the left palm,
Figure 9. The deck itself hides the move from the audience.
Square the pack. The right hand lifts the deck from above. The left
hand then goes to the left jacket pocket for a coin or other object.
Leave the torn pieces in the pocket. Remove the coin and draw an
imaginary X on the back of the deck. Return the coin to the pocket.
This next sequence convinces the audience that the torn pieces are
in the center of the deck. The right hand again cuts at the .7, lifting
the upper portion of the deckjust enough to establish a break over the
.7 that can be retained by the left fingertips. Pull the inner-right
corner of the ... 7 out of the deck a bit, as shown in Figure IDA. Then
take the torn index corner of the. 7 and place it in the deck on top of
the protruding corner. Display the deck as in Figure lOB. This gives
the appearance of a number of torn pieces protruding from the center
of the deck. As you add the .7 index corner, say, "I could try it with
all four pieces but it's easier with three."
Place the torn index corner on the table. Square the .7 into the
deck. Hold the deck by the lower left corner, thumb on top and fingers
below. Riffle the right side of the deck with the right fingers. The torn
card will pop out of the deck, Figure 1 I. Let the spectator remove it
and verify that the ... 7 has rest?red itself.
17. CardTearing
In the August 1915 issue of Thayer's Magical Bulletin, Jordan described
a novel way of performing the torn-and-restored-paper
effect. It has
since become the universally preferred method of performing this
Imp!omptu Card Tricks
19
Fig. 128
Fig.12C
~RF
-~~
Fig. 12D
Fig.12E
type of effect, especially in the context of the torn-and-restoredplaying-card effect.

To present the trick, secretly place a card in back of the card that is
to be torn. In our example, place the .3 behind the .4. Hold the
double card as shown in Figure 12A. The back of the card is toward
the audience.
Fold the double card in half from right to left,
Figure 12B. Crease the card along the fold. Then open the. 3 only, as
shown in Figure 12C.The
remains folded in half.
Tear off the right-hand half ofthe .3, Figure 12D.To the audience
it appears as if the
is being torn in half. The half-card in the right
hand is placed in front of the cards in the left hand. Fold the apparatus
in quarters by holding it between the thumb and middle finger of each
hand. Press down with the forefingers to begin the fold, Figure 12,
and then complete the fold, Figure 12F.
.4
.4
20
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig.12G
Now you apparently open the card. Really you open only the.
3,
Figure 12G. The .3 segment consists of two thicknesses of playing
card. Tear these off and place them in front of the segments in the left
hand. Note that the. 4 remains folded in quarters.
All of the torn segments are now in front. Since these are relatively
small, you can palm them off. Another method is to cover the
apparatus with a handkerchief. Toss the torn pieces into the jacket
sleeve. Remove the handkerchief and show the .4 restored. The .4
can be signed by the spectator at the beginning of the trick.
The Banded Deck

These tricks use rubber bands in conjunction with playing cards. In
some cases rubber bands are securely wrapped around the deck to
make sure that the effects are not done by sleight of hand. In one trick
a rubber band provides the power to cause a deck of cards visibly to cut
itself ala chosen card. In another, rubber-band power propels a chosen
card from one packet to another. The chapter closes with a now famous
move called the Downs Slip Cut.
18. The Straitjacket Reversed Card

The spectator removes a card from his own deck and notes it. The card
is returned to the deck and a rubber band is snapped around the deck.
The banded deck is then placed under a handkerchief. The performer
states that the chosen card will tUTO over in the middle of the deck
despite the fact that the pack is tightly bound with a rubber band. The
rubber band is removed and the chosen card is found face up in the
center of the deck.
Method: Turn your back to the spectator while he shuffles the deck
and removes a card. He hands you the deck behind your back. Turn
and face him. As you do, secretly reverse the bottom card of the deck
and then turn the deck over.
Bring the deck into view. It appears as if all the cards are face down,
but only the top card is facedown. The rest ofthe deck is face up. Snap
the rubber band around the middle of the deck. Then have the chosen
card returned face down to the center of the deck.
Cover the deck with a handkerchief. As you do, secretly turn over
the deck. Say the magic words. Remove the handkerchief and the
rubber band, spread the cards and show the chosen card face up in the
center.
In spreading the deck, when you get to the reversed card, remove all
the cards above it and place them face up on the table. Toss out the
chosen card. Then remove small groups of cards, turn them face up
and place them onto the other face-up cards. At some point pull the
bottom (reversed) card off and toss it onto the face-up heap. Then
continue with the remainder of the deck.
22
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Another way to handle the secretly reversed card at the end of the
trick is to turn cards up in bunches until you get to the reversed chosen
card. Toss the chosen card out. Then continue turning packets of
cards face up and tossing them onto the other face-up cards. When just
four or five are left, drop them, still face down, onto the face-up heap.
Pick up the entire deck, remove the few face-down cards on top, turn
them face up and add them to the other cards.
19. Elasticity
In this famous trick the deck visibly cuts itself at a previously chosen
card. There are no gimmicks. After a card is chosen and returned to
the deck, the magician snaps a rubber band around the deck. The
chosen card is seen to be in the center of the pack. Then the pack is
tossed into the air. While the deck is in midair it cuts itself right at the
chosen card.
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
,UU')
~~
._--~
Fig. 15
Method: The tric~ depends on a subtle principle. In. essence, you give
half the dec~ a twist after the rubber band IS around It, so the condition
ofthe deck IS as shown in the top view of Figure 13. You then turn the
bottom half all the way around the top half as shown in Figure 14 and
Flgur~ 15.The r.ub.ber band stillhas the twist in it, so when you toss the
deck mto the air It turns around or untwists itself. This gives the
appearance of the deck cutting itself.
The handling is not difficult, but there are a number of details that
make the performance smooth and natural. The rubber band should
fit the deck snugly, yet still allow you to handle the cards easily. Snap
The Banded Deck
23
CHOSEN
CARD.
Fig. 17
Fig. 16
the rubber band around the middle of the pack after a card has been
removed. Take back the card and insert it into the deck from the near
end of the pack. Obtain a left-little-finger break under it as it is pushed
square, Figure 16.
Grasp the deck from above by the ends with the right hand, fingers
in front, thumb in back. The left hand then grasps the bottom half and
gives it a twist, Figure 17. The audience assumes the entire deck is
being turned around. The rubber band now crosses itself as shown in
Figure 13, but all appears honest from the audience's view.
If the deck is grasped from below with the left hand, the right
fingers can riffle the outer end of the pack so the spectator can see that
his card is still in the middle of the deck.
After this has been done, turn and face the right. The reason is that
you want the back of the left hand to screen the next action from the
audience's view. The deck is held upright so that the face card of the
deck is visible to the audience. Allow the back half of the deck to fall
onto the left palm, Figure 18. The face card of this packet is the chosen
card. The true condition of the deck is hidden by the back of the left
hand and by the cards themselves as shown in Figure 19.
The right hand now grasps the upright packet at the ends, Figure 20.
Fig. 19
Fig. 18
Fig. 20
24
Charles Jordan's
BestCard Tricks
CHO~N
CAAfO
"fr
FAcE~
OF Pl4C.ot
-BUT-
F::;,:",l.
""D04N
45yBACI'(.
O~
HAND.
Fig. 22
(The left hand has been omitted for clarity.) Swing around so that you
face left. The back of the right hand will conceal from the audience's
viewthe packet that contains the chosen card at its face. The left hand
then pivots the upright packet around and under the hidden packet,
so it ends up on the back of the hidden packet, Figure 21.
.
The chosen card is now at the face of the deck, but this condition is
hidden by the back of the right hand, Figure 22. There is still a twist in
the rubber band.
Toss the pack into the air, taking care not to expose the face card of
the deck to the audience. Because of the tension in the rubber band the
upper half of the pack makes a half-revolution. The audience, from its
point of view, thinks it sees and hears the chosen card jump to the face
of the deck while the deck is in midair. It is a startling trick.
20. The Escape

In this seemingly impossible trick a chosen card is replaced in the
center of one half of the deck. Each half of the deck then has rubber
bands snapped around it. The banded packets allow of no tampering
yet, on command, the chosen card invisibly flies from one banded
packet to the other.
Method: Jordan's original handling will be given first. Following this a
simpler handling will be described.
Any borrowed deck is used. There is no preparation but you will
have to have four rubber bands on hand. Hand out half the cards for
shuffling. While the spectator does this, secretly snap a rubber band
around your packet, but the band is ma~e to go around just two cards,
~EFT
HFlNO
OMITTEe::.
F""",
C':~n:;y.
Fig. 23
The Banded Deck
2S
,ti'l/BBER
B.<lND
,-2
Fig. 24
CARDS.
Fig.24A
Figure 23. Shuffle or cut the packet so the banded cards end up in the
center, Figure 24. Jordan advises that this be done secretly. One way is
to turn your back while the spectator shuffles his cards. Your excuse is
that you do not want to see the faces of any cards. As soon as your back
is turned, perform the secret action described above.
Now remark that, while he picks a card and showsit around. you will
remove a rubber band from your pocket and snap it around your
cards. The subtle angle figures in right at this point. Pretend to remove
a rubber band from your pocket. At the same time, the left hand fans
its cards as shown in Figure 24A. The right hand approaches the
packet as if to snap a rubber band around the cards.
The right thumb and forefinger grasp the visible portion of the
band already circling the two cards and stretch it out and over the left
thumb, Figure 25, then to the right, Figure 26, then over the packet,
Figure 27, to the situation shown in Figure 28.
Fig. 25
Fig. 26
Fig. 28
26
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 29
Fig. 30
Fig. 31
The left thumb is withdrawn. An end view of the packet is as

indicated in Figure 29. Properly done, it will appear to the spectator
that you merely brought out a rubber band and snapped it around the
packet.
The packet is held face down in the left hand. The right fingers lift
the outer end of the packet, breaking the packet between the two
rubber-banded cards. The chosen card is then replaced into this
packet between the banded cards, Figure 30.
The right hand now grasps the packet from above. The left hand
picks up the other half of the deck. In swinging to the left to place the
unbanded packet on the table, the right hand releases pressure on the
banded packet. The result is that the three banded cards are propelled
to the left and onto the top ofthe unhanded packet, Figure 31.
The left-hand packet is placed on the table. The right hand transfers
its packet to the left hand. Then the right hand goes to the pocket,
removes a rubber band and snaps it lengthwise around the left-hand
packet. This packet is given to the spectator to hold.
Rubber bands are snapped lengthwise and widthwise around the
other half of the deck. Command the chosen card to leave the other
half and enter this packet. Have the rubber bands removed and show
that the chosen card has invisiblyflown from one packet to the other.
The
I
II
Banded Deck
27
Fig. 32
21. "Escape" Notes

Jordan's "Escape" can be made simpler if the basic elements are
juggled around a bit. The effect is more or less the same, but the
handling becomes easier. The idea is to remove two jokers (or two
deuces) from the deck before the trick begins, and to snap a rubber
band around them widthwise. Place the banded jokers in the shin
pocket.
To perform the trick, let the spectator shuffle the complete pack.
Then have him give you half the deck. He keeps half for himself. Turn
your back and have him shuffle his packet and remove a card. Remark
that while he does this, you will snap a rubber band around your half
of the deck.
Reach into the shirt pocket. as if for a rubber band, but remove the
banded jokers and place them in the center of your packet. Holding
the packet firmly with the left hand, grasp the portion of the rubber
band that protrudes from the left side of the deck with the right hand
and pull it up and around the deck as shown in Figure 32. The left
hand must maintain a firm grip on the packet to keep the jokers in
place.
After the rubber band is in place, turn and face the spectator. Take
the chosen card from him with the right hand. Insert it face up into the
front end of the face-down packet. but make sure it goes between the
two jokers. The handling is the same as depicted in Figure 30.
Grasp the banded packet from above with the right hand. The left
hand then picks up the spectator's packet. In the act of transferring his
packet over to the left on the table, allow the jokers and the chosen
card to be propelled to the top of the left-hand packet as shown in
Figure 31.
Place the left-hand packet on the table. The spectator will not
suspect that his card has been secretly transferred because his card is
face up and no face-up cards show at this point. The reason why his
I
28
Charles Jordan's Best Card Tricks
card is concealed is that although it is face up, it is between two

face-downjokers.
Snap a rubber band lengthwise around the right-hand packet and
give this packet to the spectator. Then cut the other packet and
complete the cut to bring the chosen card to the center. Snap rubber
bands lengthwise and widthwise around this packet. Command the
chosen card to leave the spectator's packet.
He removes the rubber bands and finds his card gone. Hand him
your packet. He removes the rubber bands and finds his card face up
between twojokers in the center of the packet.
22. The Triple
Escape
In this trick a card is chosen and returned to the pack, after which the
magician snaps a rubber band around the deck and places the deck
into the card case. The hands are empty. A rubber band is snapped
around the card case. The banded deck is dropped into an envelope.
The envelope is sealed and handed to a spectator.
With his hands empty, the magician reaches into his jacket pocket
and removes the very card chosen by the spectator. The card may be
signed. There is no palming and the deck is borrowed.
Method: Have a card chosen and returned to the deck. Secretly bring
the chosen card to the top of the deck. One method is this. Have the
chosen card returned to the top of the deck. Undercut the bottom half
with the right hand, Figure 33A. As this half is placed on top, obtain a
left-little-finger break above the chosen card. The right hand then lifts
off the top quarter of the deck and places it on the table. Immediately
the right hand lifts off all of the cards above the break and places them
on the tabled cards. Finally, the balance of the deck is placed on top of
all. The chosen card is now on top 'of the deck.
Place the first rubber band around the deck lengthwise, but as you
do, secretly slip it under the top card, Figure 33B. Twist the rubber
Fig.33A
..............._-
Fig. 338
- The Banded Deck
29
FRONT VIEW
Fig. 35
Fig. 34
"
II
Ii
Fig. 36
band and snap it crosswisearound the deck. The view from in back
and in front is shown in Figure 34.
Toss the deck face up into the air and catch it. This shows that the
rubber band is secure around the entire deck, and also that the hands
are empty. When tossing the deck, hold it face up and give it a spin.
This will keep the deck face up and thus prevent the audience from
seeing that the rubber band does not go crosswisearound the entire
deck.
The card case is held by the left hand. The right hand inserts the
deck into the case. The chosen card goes outside the case. The right
fingers slide the chosen card along under the card case so that it slides
out of the rubber band, as shown in Figure 35. The result is that the
banded deck ends up inside the card case and the chosen card is in
back of the case. Close the flap of the card case. If you find it difficult
to fit the deck into the case because of the added bulk of the rubber
band, remove a few cards from the deck before beginning the trick.
Now snap another rubber band around the card case, but slip the
band under the chosen card, Figure 36. Twist the band and snap it
lengthwise around the card case and over the card. The banded card
case can be tossed into the air and caught. Again the reason is to show
indirectly that you have not palmed out a card.
The left hand picks up an envelope. As the right hand begins to tuck
the card case into the envelope, the right fingers slide the chosen card
free of the card case and leave it behind the envelope. Place the cased
deck in the envelope and seal the envelope.
The right hand is drawn back toward the body to toss the envelope
to the spectator. As the right hand moves back, the left hand goes
behind the back and takes the chosen card from behind the envelope
_________
~4
30
as shown in Figure 37. Toss the envelope to. the spectato~.As attention
is focused on him, drop the chosen card Into the left Jacket pocket.
Tuck in the flap of the pocket beforehand to make it easier to get the
card into the pocket.
The chosen card is then produced from the pocket. When the hand
goes into the pocket, make sure it is clear to the audience that you do
not have a card palmed in the hand. The appearance of the card from
the pocket is unexpected and should come as quite a surprise to the
audience.
23. The Impossible Journey

A card is chosen and returned to the center of the deck. Rubber bands
are snapped around the deck. Patter is to the effect that the magician
willgivea demonstration of submarine warfare. The pack is the ocean,
the chosen card is a submarine. Picking up a joker, the magician
remarks that the joker is a submarine detector. Its presence brings the
submarine to the surface.
When the rubber bands are removed it is seen that the chosen card
has mysteriously risen to the top of the deck.
Method: The trick depends on the fact that a sleight known as the
two-handed pass can be performed just as easily with a rubber band
around the deck. Have a card chosen and returned to the center of the
deck. Obtain a left-little-finger break above the chosen card. Snap a
rubber band widthwise around the deck.
The two-handed pass is then performed. This is a means of secretly
exchan~ng the two halves of the deck. A complete description can be
found m the Dover edition of Expert Card Technique by Hugard and
Brave. After the pass is performed, the chosen card will be on top of
the deck.
Snap a second rubber band lengthwise around the deck. Then wave
III'
The Banded Deck
31
the joker over the deck as you introduce the submarine patter. Have
the spectator remove the rubber bands. He finds that his card has
somehow risen to the top of the deck.
24 . .Transposition
Extraordinary
This trick, invented by T. Nelson Downs, contains a move called the

Hinge Shift. Charles Jordan published the routine in a booklet on
sleight-of-hand card tricks in 1920. Four years later, in a letter to Eddie
McGuire, Downs. described a non sleight variation that has since
become a standard in the literature of card magic. The original routine
and the later variation will be described here in complete detail
because they are important additions to card magic.
As seen by the audience, the performer writesa prediction, remarking that even before seeing a borrowed deck he can anticipate the
name of a card that will be chosen. The spectator then chooses a card
from his own deck and it is seen that the chosen card matches the
prediction.
As a follow-up, the performer causes a red card in one half of the
deck to change places with a black card in the other half of the deck.
.4
.4
Beforehand place a red-backed

and a blue-backed
in
your right jacket pocket. When the borrowed deck is produced, write
on a piece of paper, "You will choose the Four of Hearts." Seal the
prediction in a small envelope and have the spectator place it in his
pocket.
Ask the spectator to separate the deck into two heaps, red cards in
one heap and black cards in the other. As he does this, palm out the
appropriate .4 from the pocket. The color and back pattern of the
palmed.4
must match the deck for the trick to work.
Take the red packet and in the process transfer the palmed
to
the top. Then place this packet face down in the left hand. Place the
black packet face upon top of the red packet, and remark, "We should
check to see if this is a full pack." Count the black cards aloud. When
you reach the twenty-sixth black card, turn the black packet over so the
backs are up.
At the same time get a left-little-finger break under the top card of
the red packet (the .4). Place the black packet momentarily on top of
the red packet, then lift it off, along with the extra .4. The .4 thus
becomes the bottom card of the black packet. At the same time, turn
the red packet face up and hand it to the spectator.
Have him count the red cards. He counts 26, so.all appears fair. He
is then told to shuffle the red cards, fan them face down and remove
one card. Make sure he does not see the face of this card.
The black packet, with the .4 at the bottom, is transferred to the
left hand. Cut off the top half of the black packet and place it on top of
Method:
.4
+iIl
32
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 38
the red card the spectator chose. The left little finger secures a break
under the top card of the other half of the black packet. The situation
at this point is shown in Figure 38.
The right hand places its packet, with the chosen red card at its face,
onto the left hand packet. Snap a rubber band around the black
packet, maintaining the break, then perform the two-handed pass at
the break. Downs later describes an easy move that accomplishes the
same result. The reader can simply cut the cards at the break and
completethe cut.
Turn the black packet face up and place it on the table. The red card
chosen by the spectator is nowsecond from the face of the black packet
and is thus hidden from view.Ask the spectator if he knows the name
of the chosen red card. He willsay no. You then remark, "I took the
libertyof remembering it for you. It was the .4."
Remove the rubber band and fan the cards, taking care not to
expose the red card second from the face of the black packet. Show the
in the center. In closing the packet, slip the
to the back. One
way to do this is to slip the left-hand cards between the
and the
balance of the black packet, Figure 39.
Have the spectator then remove the sealed envelope from his
pocket. He opens it and finds that your prediction is correct. As he
reads the prediction, secretly palm the extra
and drop it in your
pocket.
.4
'4
.4
.4
Holding the black packet face up in the left hand, take the two face
cards as one, saying, "I'll place this black card in the red packet." Turn
the packet face down in the left hand by levering it over with the left
Fig. 39
l...........
_
The Banded Deck
33
thumb. Then flip the double card face down on top of the black
packet.
Take the top card, supposedly a black card, and insert it into the
center of the red packet. Then snap a rubber band around the packet.
Snap another rubber band around the black packet. Perform the
two-handed pass with the black packet. This gets the black card just
shown to the center. The reader can substitute a straight cut for the
pass.
Remind the audience that there is a red card in the black packet and
a black card in the red.packet. Snap the fingers. Have the rubber bands
removed. The audience then finds 26 black cards in one half of the
deck and 26 red cards in the other half.
25. The Downs Hinge Shift

In a footnote to "Transposition Extraordinary," Downs said that this
move was his favorite version of the double-handed shift. The Downs
Hinge Shift can be used in place of the pass in the above routine.
Hold the deck face down in the left hand. The thumb is on top of the
pack. The right hand grasps the upper half ofthe deck, Figure 40, and
draws it to the right: The left thumb keeps the top. card in place,
Figure 41. The right-hand packet is then placed on the bottom of the
deck. This completes the move.
Downs called the move a "shift," implying that, like most twohanded shifts. it was to be done secretly. In the context of a secret shift
or pass. the card retained on top by the left thumb acts as a cover card
and helps to screen the move from the audience's view. If the move is
used in "Transposition Extraordinary,"
the reader will find that,
although a rubber band has been snapped around the packet, the
move can be done anyway.
Fig. 41
Fig. 40
34
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
26. The Downs Slip Cut

In a 1924 letter to the magician Eddie McGuire, Downs described
another version of the above move which is done visiblyas an apparent
cut. The deck is in the left hand. The' left thumb contacts the top card.
The right hand grasps the top half of the deck and moves it to the
right. The left thumb retains the top card In place. The situation IS
exactlyas in Figure 41.
.
But as soon as the right-hand packet clears the cards In the left hand,
the right-hand packet is slapped on top of the left hand cards. Done
casually,this looks as if the deck were given a straight cut. Act~ally. all
that has happened is that the top card of the deck has been slipped to
the middle. The order of the other cards is intact. Downs used the
move to get rid of an unwanted card on top of the deck. In 1931 Frank
Lane suggested this type of move as a false cut, and that is the use to
which it has generally been put ever since.
27. "Downs Slip Cut" Notes

There are many ways in which the Downs Slip Cut can be exploited. In
this application, you apparently cut to the four aces.
Secretly place the four aces on top of the deck. Tell the spectator
that, after years of practice, you have mastered the technique of
cutting to the aces. Place the deck face down in the left hand. Grasp the
deck from above with the right hand, fingers in front, thumb in back.
The thumb riffles up from the bottom of the deck until you have
riffled about 13 cards-a quarter of the deck--off the thumb. Turn
your head aside as you do this to make it clear that you need not look at
the deck while cutting to the aces.
The right hand lifts up the top three-quarters of the deck and draws
II to the right. At the same time the left thumb
retains the top card of
'fie deck (an ace) in place. The result of this action is that this card will
end up on top of the cards in the left hand.
The left hand moves to the left and simultaneously turns its packet
over and drops it face up on the table. An indifferent card will show at
the face of the packet.
~epe~t the above actions with another quarter of the deck, and then
agam with another quarter of the deck, so that there will be three
face-up packets on the table. On the fourth round, the left hand simply
takes the remamder of the deck from the right hand, turns it Over and
places it face up on the table. There are now four face-up packets on
the table.
The audience will be less than impressed with your feat, because you
The Banded Deck
35
have clearly not cut to the aces. Act puzzled at the lack of applause.
Remember that to this point you have been looking away, so that you
do not appear to knowyet that you have failed to cut to a single ace.
Look at the spectators,then at the packets on the table. Say, "The
aces aren't at the faces of the packets. They're at the backs." Turn each
packet over. Then turn up the top card of each packet to reveal an ace.
The appearance of the four aces is surprising and should bring a
round of applause from the audience.
Stacked-Deck Tricks
All of the routines in this chapter require stacked decks. In most cases
the setting up can be done ahead of time. Included here is an effect
called "The Dream," a startling example of a magical paradox. The
principle contained in "The Missing Pair" has since been exploited to
produce a whole new area of card magic.
28. Psycholia
The deck is given a fair dovetail shuffle. The spectator cuts the deck
and completes the cut. Then the low-valued cards are removed and
discarded. The remainder of the deck is cut into two heaps. A and B.
The performer goes into another room and instructs the spectator
to remove five cards from heap A and note these cards. The names of
the cards can be jotted down on a slip of paper. Another spectator
removes one card from heap B. The five cards are replaced in heap B
and the single card is replaced in heap A. Each heap is separately
shuffled. Then the two heaps are placed together, one on top of the
other.
The spectator begins reading off cards from the top of the deck. At
some point the magician stops him and names all six chosen cards even
though five of them have never been named by the spectator!
Method: Take any well-shuffled deck and remove the 2's, S's, 4's, 5's
and 6's. Write down the order of the 7's, S's, 9's, lO's,jacks, queens,
kings and aces. Put these 32 high cards on top of the deck and the
low-valued cards on the bottom. From another pack remove the 7's
through aces and arrange them in the same order, by value and suit, as
the high cards in the first pack. Then place this 32-card packet in your
pocket. Retur-n the deck to its case. This is the extent of the prior
preparation.
To perform the trick, remove the deck from its case. Cut at the point
between the low-valued cards and the rest of the deck. Dovetail shuffle
the two packets together. Place the deck on the table and have the
spectator give it a straight cut. Then turn the deck face up and remove
the low-valued cards. These cards (the 2's through 6's) are discarded
Stacked-Deck Tricks
37
since they are not used in this trick. The spectator is then asked to give
the balance of the deck any number of straight cuts.
Ask the spectator to cut the 32-card packet into two heaps. In the act
of squaring up each heap, spot the face card of each. Assume these
cards are the K and the. 9. Retire to an adjoining room. When you
are out of the audience's view, remove the 32-card packet from your
pocket and cut either of the two noted cards to the bottom of the
packet. Assume you cut the. K to the face of the packet. Then cut the
packet into two heaps so that the K is the face card of one heap and
the .9 the face card of the other heap. This means that your two
packets will be identical with the spectator's two packets.
Note a prominent card in one heap, say the .A. Say to the
spectator, "See which packet contains the ace of Spades. Have five
cards removed from that packet and one card from the other packet."
Have the spectator note the five cards on a slip of paper. He then
shuffles these five cards into the opposite packet. The spectator with
the single card shuffles his card into the .A packet. Have the .A
packet placed on top of the other packet. The spectator then calls out
the cards one at a time, beginning at the top of the 32-card packet.
As he calls out the cards, remove the same cards from your duplicate
A packet. At some point he will call out a card that you cannot find in
your" A packet. This is the single card chosen by the other spectator.
Make a mental note of this card.
The spectator continues calling out cards and you continue removing them from the .A packet until you have just five cards left. These
are the five cards chosen by the first spectator. Halt the deal at this
point. Reveal these five cards plus the single card you noted earlier in
the deal. Give it the proper buildup and you will be credited with
uncanny powers.
29. Divino
The deck is spread face up to show that the cards are in no particular
order. The spectator then gives the deck a straight cut and deals it into
two heaps. He chooses a number between 12 and 20, and notes the
card at that location in one heap. The heap is then shuffled by the
spectator and placed in the center of the other heap.
The performer placesthe deck in his pocket. The spectator calls out
a number from I to 12. Say he calls 9. The performer removes nine
cards from his pocket, and the ninth card proves to be the very card
chosen by the spectator.
Method: Remove 25 cards from a well-shuffled deck. Note their order.
Then remove the duplicates of these cards from a matching deck and
arrange them in the same order. Place the two packets together, one
on top of the other. Each half of the deck thus consists of the same
cards in the same order.
38
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
The spectator gives the deck any number of straight cuts. Then he
deals the deck into two heaps, a card to each heap alternately ~rom left
to right. Ask him to pick up the left-hand heap. Then have him name
any number between 12 and 20. Whatever the number, he deals that
many cards off the top of the heap and notes the last card dealt. Then
he assembles the heap and givesit a good shuffle.
Lift off the top half of the other heap. The number of cards you cut
off is not important just as long as you cut more than ten cards. The
spectator places his shuffled heap into yours at the point of the cut,
thus burying his cards. Replace the cut-off portion. Then place the
deck into your pocket.
Whatever number he calledout, mentally deduct 12 from it. Thus. if
he called out 13, deduct 12 to get 1. You now know the location of the
duplicate of his card. In this example, if you get an answer of I, the
duplicate of the chosen card is on top of the pack. If he chose the card
seventeenth from the top of his heap originally, the duplicate of his
card would be fifth from the top of the deck.
Have the spectator call out a number between I and 12. Knowing
the location of the duplicate of the chosen card, you can remove cards
from the packet in such a waythat the duplicate appears at the number
calledout by the spectator.
For example, say the spectator looked at the card fifteenth from the
top of his packet. He replaced the card, shuffled the packet and buried
it in the center of the other packet. Since his number was 15, you know
the duplicate of the chosen card is third from the top of the deck.
Place the deck in your pocket. Have the spectator call out any
number from 1 to 12. Say he calls out 9. Deal the top two cards of the
deck onto the table. Then deal six more cards from the bottom of the
deck. Then remove his card from the top of the deck and toss it out
face up. This is the ninth card you removed from your pocket and it is
the chosen card.
30. "Divino" Notes

To avoid having to subtract 12 from the spectator's first number,
arrange the tw:o halves of the deck as suggested by Jordan, but after
the spe.ctatorgives the deck several straight cuts at the start of the trick,
have him deal the top 25 cards into a heap on the table and place the
balance alongSide. Now no matter what number his card is from the
top of the first heap, its duplicate will be that same number up from
the bottom of the other heap.
Anot?er approach is to use an ordinary deck of 52 cards. Note the
~rst, third, fi~th, seventh ~ards, etc., that is, the cards at odd positions
In the deck. FI?d the duplicates of these cards in a matching deck and
arra~~e them In the same order. Note the bottom card of this packet.
Say It is the .A. Pocket this group of cards.
Stacked-Deck
Tricks
39
.A
Give the spectator the full deck. He turns it face up and gives it any
number of straight cuts. Finally ask him to cut the
to the face of
the deck as an aid to concentration. When this has been done, he deals
the deck into two heaps, alternating a card to each heap until he has
dealt through the entire deck. Have him pick up the heap containing
the .A, call out any number from 1 to 26, and note the card at that
position in the packet.
When he has done this he shuffles this packet into the other half of
the deck. Take the shuffled deck and place it in your pocket. Knowing
the number, you know the location of the duplicate of the chosen card
since it is in the same position in the packet of duplicates.
Remove face-down cards from you r pocket, actually removing them
from the packet of duplicates. Go two or three cards past the duplicate
of the chosen card, pause, then slide the right card out of the dealt pile
and turn it face up_
After the spectator acknowledges that he did indeed choose this
card, gather the dealt cards, including the chosen card, return them to
the pocket and remove the shuffled deck of 52 cards, leaving the
packet of duplicates behind in the pocket. From here you can go on
with further tricks.
31. Psychic Prediction

The magICian writes a prediction and places it in full view of the
audience. The deck is then given a fair shuffle and cut. The spectator
names any suit-Hearts
for example-and
deals cards off the top,
placing the Hearts aside as he comes to them until there are six Hearts.
Adding their values he arrives at a total of 27. The prediction is
opened and it is seen that the magician correctly predicted that 27
wouldbe the total.
Method: Two decks are needed to make up the stack. From the top
down the setup is .2_.3_.A_.K_.9_.10_.5_.j_.Q_.4_.8_
.6-. K-. 3-.A-.2-.9-.1
0_.5_.Q_.j_.4_.8_.6_"'7_
+ K-"'2 10-"'4- + A- "'3-. 8-"'9-"'Q- + 4-'" 7- + 2-"'J-. A-"'3- + 8-"'9-. j"'K-+4.
To perform the trick, remark that to make the mental arithmetic
easier you will let each picture card have a value of2. Write that 27 will
bethe total. Then splitthe deck between the .6 and "'7. Place the two
packets before the spectator and let him dovetail shuffle them together. He follows the shuffle with any number of straight cuts.
The spectator names any suit. He then deals cards off the top of the
deck, placing cards of the named suit in one heap as he comes to them
and all other cards in a separate heap. He stops when he has six cards
of the named suit. Have him add up the values of the six cards.
Because of the nature of the stack, he must arrive at a total of 27 - All
that remains is to have him check his total against your prediction.
40
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
The force total can be used in the context of a book test to force. a
page number. In this case you would not write the number on the shp
of paper. Instead you would write t.he first word on page 27 o~ the
book you intend to use. The deck IS sh~ff1ed and cut as descr-ibed
above. After six cards of the same SUit have been removed, the
spectator adds their values and opens the book to that. p~ge. He
discoversthat the first word on the page matches your prediction.
The book you are now reading has been arranged as a force book. If
the spectator opens the book to the first page of any chapter except t~e
Introduction and looks at the twenty-seventh word on the page, he will
arrive at the word "effect" or "effects." All you need do is predict
either word for the trick to succeed. If you predict "effect" and he
chooses"effects," you are closeenough.
32. Mephistopheles' Touch

Arrange the high cards in the following order from the top down:
"'9- .7- of-K- + 8- 4IOQ-.J"'A- .lO-.9-,,"7-.
K-"'S- Q- of-J- + A"'10-"'9-.74IOK-S-"'Q-. J- 410
A- .10- .9- "'7- .K-of-S-+Q-4IOJ A-"'IO. Note that like-valuedcards are eight apart. The low-valued
cards are gathered in any random order and placed on the bottom of the
deck. To present the trick, cut the deck into two packets so that the
low-valuedcards are in one packet and the 32-card stack is in the other.
You may glance at the cards to divide them properly.
Have the spectator shuffle the two packets together. He follows this
by giving the deck a straight cut. Have him turn the deck face up and
discard the low-valued cards. The remainder of the deck appears to be
haphazardly arranged but actually it is in the same setup described
above.
The spectator takes the portion of the deck containing the high
cards, gives it a cut and deals off the top card. While you tur-n your
back he notes this card and deals eight more off the top of the packet
onto it. Then he shuffles these nine cards and hands them to you. You
glanceat the packet and immediately name his card.
The key is this: When you get the nine-card packet, fan it so you can
see the faces. There will be two and only two cards of the same value in
the packet. They might be the K and of-K. You thus know that the
spectator chose a king.
To get the suit, note that suits run in Spades-Hearts-Clubs_
Diamonds rotation in each eight-card group in the above stack. This
~eans ~hat a Spade will be immediately before a Heart, a Heart will be
I~medlately befo~e a Clu~, a ~lub will be immediately before a
Diamond, and a Diamond willbe Immediately before a Spade.
~he chosen card is the one whose suit comes first. In our example, in
which the two same-valued cards are the .K and "'K, since Hearts
comesbefore Clubs, the chosen card must be the. K..
As another example, suppose that, on getting the packet, you find
Stacked-Deck Tricks
41
that the two cards of the same value are the .9 and la9. You know
that the chosen card is a 9-spot. Since Diamonds comes before Spades
in the suit rotation, the chosen card is a Diamond. Thus you announce
that the chosen card is the. 9.
33. The Dream

Tricks involving paradoxes are comparatively rare in magic literature.
The following routine is a splendid example of the genre. From a
borrowed deck a random card is indicated by the spectator. This card
is taken face down and sealed in a borrowed envelope. There is no
secret switch. The card chosen by the spectator is the one removed
from his own deck and sealed in an envelope.
The spectator now chooses a card from the balance of the deck. Say
the card is the ~7. The deck is assembled. The spectator is asked to
remove his card, but when he looks for it, the
is gone. The
spectator himself opens the envelope and finds that the card sealed in
the envelope before the trick began is the ~ 7 he later selected!
.7
Method: Arrange the Spades in order from ace to king and place this
packet in the left trouser pocket. Arrange the Hearts in order and
place them in the right trouser pocket. Arrange the Clubs in order and
place them in the left jacket pocket. Arrange the Diamonds in order
and place them in the right jacket pocket. Thus each suit has been
numerically arranged and placed in a separate pocket. This allows you
to find the duplicate of any card chosen by the spectator quickly.
Take any borrowed deck, fan it face down and have the spectator
indicate any card. Removeit and seal it in a borrowed envelope. Do not
let the spectator see the face of the card but as you insert it into the
envelope, glimpse the face of the card. Say it is the .7.
Ask the spectator to shuffle the balance of the deck. As he does,
drop the hand into the leftjacket pocket, locate the duplicate .7, and
palm it out with the face of the card toward the palm.
Take the shuffled deck from the spectator and place it face up on
the palm, directly over the duplicate .7. The deck is face up. The .7
is at the bottom of the deck and this card is face down.
The deck is in the left hand. Riffle the pack with the left thumb until
the spectator calls stop. Riffle slowly so that he stops you somewhere
about the middle of the deck. Lift the top half off and in the process
secretly turn the bottom half over. This brings the . 7 into view. Have
the spectator note this card. When you replace the top half, secretly
turn the bottom half over again. Now the entire deck is face up. The
is face down on the bottom.
Riffle the cards with the left thumb, stopping well below the point
where the spectator called stop. Lift off this packet and hand it to the
spectator. Have him look through the cards and find his card. As he
does, palm off the. 7 and drop it into your pocket.
.7
42
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
When the spectator cannot find his card, hand hi.mthe balance of
the deck. He still cannot find the card. Call attention to the sealed
envelope. He opens it and discovers that the card sealed in the
envelope before the trick began is the card he would later select from
his own deck.
34. C. T. J. Detection
After you leave the room a spectator gives the deck several straight
cuts. He thinks of a number, counts down that many cards and notes
the card at that number. The counted cards are replaced on top. Then
he givesthe deck a shuffle.
He begins dealing cards off the top, calling them aloud as he deals.
But after he has dealt a few cards, you stop him and immediately name
the chosen card. The perplexing part of this problem is that the
spectator never deals far enough into the pack to get to his card.
Indeed, at times you can reveal the chosen card after he names just the
first two cards on top of the shuffled deck.
Method: The secret relies on a full-deck stack combined with a riffleshuffle technique. To make the idea clear we will use a simple
example. Arrange each suit in ace to king order. Then arrange the
deck so the 13 Clubs are on top, the Spades next, the Hearts next and
the Diamonds last. Remember that in each suit the cards are arranged
in numerical order.
'
The spectator gives the deck several straight cuts. Then he thinks of
a number between I and 20. Beginning at the top of the deck he
counts that number of cards onto the table. Assume that after the cuts,
the .2 is on top of the deck and that the spectator thinks of the
number 8. He counts eight cards off the top of the deck into a heap.
This reverses the order of these eight cards and is the key to the trick.
The spectator then looks at the top card of the remainder of the
deck. In our example this card will be the .. 10. He replaces this card
on top of the deck and then places the dealt packet on top of all.
Next the spectator cuts the deck at about the midpoint in preparation for a dovetail or riffle shuffle. For the sake of example, assume he
cuts between the + 2 and .3. Thus the .9 will be the top card of one
packet and the. 3 the top card of the other packet. The two halves of
the deck are shuffled together and the deck squared up. The spectator
then reads off the cards one at a time from the top.
Assume the top cards are the +3-+4-.9-+5-.8-.7_+6,
in that
order. In the next room you jot them down as he calls them out, but
you place the black cards in one row and the red cards in a separate
row, as follows:
+3
+4
.9
.6
+5
.8.7
, I
Stacked-DeckTricks
43
As soon as you spot a run of cards called off in descending numerical

order. you know that the first of these tells you the chosen card. In the
above example the spectator is calling out the Diamonds in ascending
order and the Spades in descending order. The first Spade he calls out
is the 49. The chosen card is the next card in the setup or the .10. In
this example the spectator need only call out the first five cards in order
for you to spot the beginning of a run that proceeds in descending order.
The above setup is too obvious to get away with. A more subtle arrangement is to remove all the odd-valued cards, shuffle them and
place them on the table. Then shuffle the even-valued cards and place
them on top. On a slip of paper write out the order of the deck, placing
the odd cards in one row and the even cards in a separate row.
The trick is then performed exactly as described above. When the
spectator has shuffled the deck and begins calling out the cards, jot
them down on a separate slip of paper, odds in one row, evens in a
separate row. He will call either the odd cards or the even cards in reverse order. As soon as you detect which sequence has been reversed,
note the first card of the reversed sequence. Find it on your list of 52
cards. The card before it on the list is the chosen card.
35. E~-CelloCard Discovery

In this trick the stack does not depend on value but rather on suit.
Place all the Hearts in one pile, the Clubs in another, the Diamonds in
another and the Spades in another. Shuffle each pile separately. Then
take a card from the top of the Heart pile and place it in the left hand.
Place the top card of the Cluh pile on top of it. Place the top card of the
Diamond pile on top of that, and the top card of the Spade pile on top
of that. Continue in this way, going from Hearts to Clubs to Diamonds
to Spades in turn, until the entire deck is in the left hand. The Hearts
will be four cards apart, the Clubs will be four cards apart and so on.
To perform the trick, deal off the top until you have dealt eight
cards into one heap. Deal four cards into a separate heap, 12 cards into
another heap, eight cards into another heap. Keep dealing and make
sure that the number of cards in each heap is divisible by four. After
the deck has been dealt out into several heaps, have the spectator
gather the heaps in any order. This gives the appearance that the cards
were well mixed.
Fan the pack and have a card freely drawn. Cut the deck at that
point and complete the cut. Then transfer the top four cards to the
bottom of the deck as if to randomly cut a few more cards.
The spectator replaces his card on top of the deck. Then he cuts the
deck to bury his card and completes the cut. He can give the deck any
number of straight cuts before handing the deck back to you. When
you get the deck, fan or spread it with the faces toward you. There will
be two cards of the same suit adjacent to one another. The one closest
to the face of the deck is the chosen card.
_____
------'A
44
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
36. StrangeCoincidence
Each ofthree spectators names a number. The magician deals down to
the first number and gives the first spectator the card at that number.
He deals to the second number and gives the card at that number to
the second spectator. From the bottom of the deck the performer deals
to the third spectator's number and gives him that card.
The sum of the spots on the first two spectator's cards equ~ls the
value of the third spectator's card, even though the pack contains no
duplicates and the numbers were not forced.
Method: The deck is stacked from the top down as follows: any four
court cards-the
four 5's-four 9's-four
8's-four 7's-four
6'5four aces-four 2's-four 3's-four 4's-four
court cards-four
10'5four court cards.
Have the first spectator name any number between 10and 25. If his
number is evenly divisible by 4, have the second spectator name a
number between 12 and 17. If the first spectator's number has a
remainder of 1 after being divided by 4, have the second spectator
think of a number between 15 and 20. If the first spectator's number
has a remainder of 2 after being divided by 4, have the second
spectator name a number between 14 and 19. If the first number has a
remainder of 3 after it is divided by 4, have the second spectator name
a number between 13 and 18.
By means of this approach, the cards arrived at by couming to each
of the first two numbers must total 10. The four l G'sare at positions 5,
6,7,8 from the bottom of the deck. Have the third spectator call out
any number greater than 4. If it lies between 5 and 8, simply count off
the bottom of the deck to it. But if it is greater than 8, count the first 7
cards from the bottom of the deck. Then glide back the next card (a
Iu-spot) and continue dealing to the third spectator's number. Remove
the card glided back and hand it to him. Then finish the trick as
written above.
The glide is described in "The Inseparable Aces" (No. 193).
37. The Wizard's Will

There is a popular card effect in which you predict each of several
cards before they are removed from the deck. In one approach it was
necessary for the magician to glimpse each card before going on to the
next card. Jordan's method avoids having to glimpse any cards.
Arrange the deck in any easily remembered order. The Si Stebbins
setup described in "Diabolical Transposition"
(No. 128) is a good
systemto use. Note t~at the.values advance by 4 as you,go from card to
card, and that the SUitsare In Clubs-Hearts-Spades-Diamonds
order.
Another stack will be given in the notes following this trick.
Stacked-Deck Tricks
45
Deal the deck face down iruo several rows. Silently go through the
setup as you deal so that you know the top card of each packet. Remark
that you will cause the spectator to pick the 4A. Here you name the
top card of any packet.
Have him indicate a packet. Pick it up and spread the cards for a
selection. If he picks the .A pile and happens to choose the .A, end
the trick right here. Otherwise, as you spread the cards, silently go
through the setup. advancing one card for each card in the stack. You
know the top card of the packet, so it is easy to pick up the stack at that
point and silently keep track of the cards as you spread them. Thus
you know the chosen card as soon as the spectator chooses it. Have him
place it aside face down without looking at it. Assume this card is the
+5.
Now tell him that you willcause him to pick the. 5 (naming the card
he just chose). He indicates another packet. Use the same process
described above for the selection of this card. Due to the stack, you will
know his card as soon as he removes it. Say it is the "'8.
Pick up another packet and remark that now you willcompel him to
pick the .8, again naming the card he just chose. Have him pick a
card from this packet and place it with the others. Assume this card is
the K.
Remark that you will try to pick the K. Here you gather the deck
in a seemingly haphazard way. but really gather the cards so the
is
on top of the deck. Remove this card and add it to the others.
Pick up the packet containing the chosen cards, shuffle it and turn
the cards face up. The spectator sees that you did indeed compel him
to choose the cards you named.
.A
38. "Wizard's Will" Notes

Arrange the four aces oil top of the deck in Clubs-Hearts-SpadesDiamonds order. Under them have the four 2's in the same suit order.
Under them are the four S's in the same suit rotation, then the four 4's,
and so on to the four kings at the bottom of the deck. The suit rotation
is the same for each group of four cards. Give the deck several straight
cuts. Secretly note the top card ofthe deck. Say it is the. A.
Tell the spectator that by mind control you willcompel him to pick
the .A. Spread the cards slowly, beginning at the top. Mentally keep
track of the cards in the setup as you spread the deck, so that you know
the card he will take.
When the spectator indicates a card, lift off the cards above his card
and place this packet on the table. Remove his card and place it inside
the card case. On a slip of paper record that you caused him to pick the
.A. Under this write that he will next choose the. 5. Here you name
the card he actually chose. You know the card because you have kept
track of where you were in the setup as the cards were spread.
Spread the balance of the pack and have him indicate a card. Again
46
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
keep track of where you are in the setup so that you know which card
he took. Say it:is the .8. Placeit inside the car~ case on t?P of the ~ 5.
Gather the deck so that the .A is on top. Wnte that things are gOIng
so wellthat for your final try you will risk compelling him to choose the
elusive -'-8. Now perform the X-Force described in "Stampedo" (No.
117), thus forcing him to take the A. Place it in the card case but
under the 5.
Have him read what you wrote. He takes the cards out of the card
case in order and finds that you were right all three times.
39. Discard Trick

Arrange the deck in numerical order according to suit as suggested in
Detection" (No. 34). Hand the pack to the spectator. While
you turn your back have him cut off about half the deck and place it on
the table. He then notes the top card of the packet in his hand and
places this card on top of the tabled packet.
Then he cuts off another third of the deck and places it on top of the
tabled cards, thus burying his first selection. He notes the top card of
the packet in the left hand and places it on top of the tabled cards.
Finallyhe places the remaining third of the deck on top of all.
The spectator deals the deck into seven heaps, dealing a card to each
heap from left to right until he has seven face-down heaps. There will
be three cards left over. Take them and glimpse the bottom card. This
card was originally above the first card he chose. If this card is the.
6,
his first selection was the .7.
Have him place the last heap on top of the one next to it, and these
on top of the next heap and so on so that he gathers the heaps from
right to left. The rightmost heap will be on top when the deck has been
gathered.
Have him deal the deck into six heaps. There will be one card left
over. As you place it aside, glimpse it. This card was originally below
his second selection. If this card is the "-8, you know that his second
selection was the "- 7.
Since you know the two chosen cards without ever touching them,
you can proceed from ~ere with a dra~atic revelation. Note that you
get the secret information from the discards, that is, from the cards
least likely to attract the spectator's attention. It is this point that makes
the feat puzzling.
"e. T. J.
40. The Missing Pair

The remarkable principle concealed in this novel card location can be
exploited In .un~xpected ways. The original trick will be given, and
then an applicauon that may not be readily apparent.
Stacked-DeckTricks
47
The pack is removed from its case. The spectator gives the deck
several straight cuts, then he deals the deck into four heaps. He
chooses any heap, shuffles it and looks through it. If it happens to
contain two cards of the same value the spectator places these two
cards in his pocket. If not, he picks up another heap and sees if it
contains two cards of the same value. This matched pair is then
pocketed.
The heap from which the pocketed cards have been removed is
given to the performer. He glances through the cards and immediately
names the cards in the spectator's pocket.
Method: The deck is arranged with the. A to .10 in numerical order
from the top down. Followingthis are the +10 through + A, then the
same sequence in Hearts, then the same sequence in Clubs. The top
card of the 40-card packet is the
and the bottom card is the "'A.
The court cards are on the bottom of the deck in any order.
In jordan's time, some new decks were stacked this way, so one
could have the spectator purchase a new deck, break the seal and
proceed immediately with the trick. The reader might want to keep an
eye out for such decks.
Hand the stacked deck to the spectator. Have him give it several
straight cuts. He then deals it into four heaps, one card at a time,
dealing from left to right, and chooses one heap. Telling the spectator
that if his heap does not contain matching cards he is to look in another
heap is pure misdirection. Each heap must contain matching cards. He
is to ignore the picture cards.
One heap will contain a pair of aces, a pair of 5's and a pair of 9's.
Another will contain pairs of 2's, 6's and 10'5. Another will contain
pairs of S's and 7'5, and another will contain pairs of 4's and 8'5.
Further, the pairs will consist of a Club and a Diamond. No other
outcome is possible.
After the spectator pockets a matched pair, take the packet from
him. Look at the remaining Clubs and Diamonds. From this you can
easily determine which pair is missing.
.A
41. "Missing Pair" Notes

It is easy to see why Clubs and Diamonds match up as they do. It is
because, as Jordan noted, "Any given Club alwayslies 20 cards beyond
its Diamond mate." This is another way of saying that if a card is a
multiple of 4 away from its mate, it will end up in the same packet with
its mate if the cards are dealt into four heaps. The intriguing point,
though, is that Spades and Hearts are prevented from matching up
because the Spade stack is the reverse of the Heart stack.
What is unexpected about this arrangement is that it holds even if
Spades and Hearts are riffle shuffled or dovetail shuffled together. To
48
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
see what happens, aITange the Spades together in order from ace to
ten, and the Hearts in order from ten to ace. The .A is the top card of
the Spade packet and the .10 is the top card of the Heart packet. Now
riffle or dovetail shuffle the two packets together. Deal off the top ten
cards. The surprising result is that these ten cards contain one each of
the values ace to 10. There are no matching values in the packet.
Similarly,the other packet of ten cards contains one each of the values
ace to 10. Of course the suits are mixed, but the values never mix. No
matter how uneven the shuffle, you will never find two cards of the
same value in either half after the shuffle.
If the cards are given a cut rather than a shuffle, the procedure is
this. Arrange the Spades in ace-to-IO order from the top down.
Arrange the Hearts in ace-to-lO order from the top down. Place one
packet on top of the other. Givethe cards any number of straight cuts.
Deal off the top ten cards. You will find that this packet contains one
each ofthe values ace through 10.
After you deal off ten cards, thus reversing their order, if you then
dovetail shuffle this packet into the remaining packet and again deal
off ten cards, you will find, as before, that there is one each of the
valuesace through 10.
l_
Gambling Secrets
Some of the strongest card tricks rely on gambling techniques for their
success. This chapter features routines that exploit the possibilities of
card counting in location effects, the gambler's glimpse for secretly
sighting a card and the punch deal for marking cards. The chapter
closes with a lillie-known gambling method of stacking cards.
42. Quadruple Concentration

Four cards are removed from the deck. They can be of any value but
they must be one of each suit. The magician goes through the deck,
then immediately reveals each of the four missing cards.
Method: The trick relies on a system known as card counting. It is done
silently, and with practice it can be accomplished with extreme
rapidity. For the purposes of this trick you are going to carry four
separate columns in your silent figuring. Assume all the Hearts will go
in a column on the left, all the Clubs in a column to the right of it, all
the Diamonds to the rightofthat and all the Spades to the right ofthat.
When you are first learning the system, you may want to concentrate
on one or two suits at a time. In that case, you will use this system, but
you will apply it only to the suits you are mentally totaling.
When the four cards have been removed from the deck and the deck
has been handed to you, silently set the four totals at zero, i.e., 0-0-0-0.
Now deal off the first card. Say it is the "-5. Your mental picture
changes to 0-5-0-0. Since this first card is a Club, you have entered it in
the Club column.
Say the next card is the _6. You enter this card in the Spade
column. Because Spades is the column farthest to the right, you will
now have 0-5-0-6. If the next card is the "'3, the four totals will be
0-8-0-6.
When a total equals or exceeds 13, subtract 13 from the total. Thus,
if the next card is the .8, the four totals would be 0-8-0-1. The Spade
column showed 6, but after you added 8, you got 6 + 8 = 14. Since
this exceeds 13, you subtract 13, reducing this column to 1.
The system continues with all the cards in the deck. Each suit is put
SO
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
into its own column and each suit is totaled individually. At the finish
you willhave four numbers, for example, 7-4-8-3. Subtract,each from
13to find out the missing cards. In our example 7 from 13 IS6, so you
know the first card is the .6. The next number is 4. Subtract 4 from
13 to get 9, so you know the next missing card is the 4-9. Similarly, the
other two missing cards are the. 5 and the.
10.
Jordan added this tip to make the mental figuring easier: Do not
bother to add kings since they have a value of 13. When a queen shows
up, do not add 12. Instead, subtract 1. When ajack shows up, do not
add II. Instead, subtract 2 from your total for that suit. Remember that
if the final total for any column is 0, the card is the king in that suit.
The system requires study, but the spectacular effect is worth the
practice. Following the next trick, "The Magi's Detection," a greatly
simplified system of card counting will be described.
43. The Magi's Detection

The effect creates the impression that you have great powers of
memory. The spectator cuts a packet of cards off the top of a
well-shuffled deck. The performer looks over the cards and then
announces that he has memorized them.
The spectator removes any card from the packet and conceals it.
The performer then takes the balance of the packet, looks through it
and announces the identity of the missing card.
Method: The trick hints at prodigious powers of memory but the real
secret is a system of card counting. The basic system, in which all four
suits were counted simultaneously, was described in the previous trick,
"Quadruple Concentration." The method described here is easier
because all values are grouped together, regardless of suit. The suits
are treated separately.
As in the previous trick, you begin at the face of the packet and
silentlyadd together the values as you come to them. When the total
exceeds 13, subtract 13, then continue. The idea is that you count
through the cards when the packet is first handed to you. Then you
count through the cards after the spectator has removed one card,
Your total t~e second ~imewillbe different from the total you arrived
at the first time. The difference between the totals tells you the identity
of the chosen card.
Taking a specific example, suppose the first four cards in the packet
are a 5, a 6, a 10 and a 9. Add 5 and 6 to get 11. Then add this sum to
the n~xt card, a 10, to get 21. Since this total exceeds 13, subtract 13
from It to get th~ new figure of 8. The next card is a 9-spot. Add 8 and
9 to get 17. Again the total exceeds 13, so you must subtract 13 from it.
The new figure is 4.
.Jacks count II, queens count 12 and kings count O.In other words,
kingsdo not figure into the arithmetic.
Gambling Secrets
51
A similar system is used for suits. Spades count I, Hearts count 2,

Clubs count 3 and Diamonds count O. Keep a running total of suits as
you come to them. When the suit total equals or exceeds 4, subtract 4
and then carryon with the silent totaling.
With the above information in mind you are ready to perform the
trick. When you get the shuffled packet from the spectator, turn it face
up and add the cards by the system just described. Silently you total the
values as you come to them. At the same time, you keep a running total
of the suits as you come to them.
Any hesitation on your part is understandable to the audience,
because you are apparently attempting the difficult feat of memorizing
all of the cards in a random packet. It will make the mental figuring a
little easier if, when you begin, you hold the packet fanned in the left
hand and, with the right hand, remove pairs of cards that total 13.
There will be several such pairs and they do not enter into your silent
figuring. When first trying out the system it willbe easier to make two
passes through the cards, one for value and the other for suit. Jordan
suggests that when you gain facility with the system, you silently add
values and suits simultaneously.
The result will be two digits, one for the total of the values and the
other for the total of the suits. Assume the totals are 10-3, that is, 10 for
values and 3 for suits. After you have the totals in mind, give the
packet to the spectator. Tell him to shuffle it, remove any card from
the packet and hide the card. Then have him shuffle the packet again
and hand it back to you.
When you get back the packet, go through the cards again, totaling
for values and suits just as before. You will get a different total from
the first total. The difference tells you the identity of the chosen card.
For example, if the first total was 10-3 and the second total was 5-2,
subtract 5 from 10 to get 5. You now know that the value of the chosen
card was a 5. Subtract 2 from 3 to get l. Since Spades count I, you
know the card taken by the spectator is the .5.
If the first total was 10-3 and the second was 5-3, subtracting the
second suit total from the first gives you O. Since Diamonds count 0,
the card removed from the packet by the spectator is the. 5.
Sometimes the second total for value will exceed the first. ] n this
case, add 13 to the first total. For example, suppose the first total is
10-3, and the second total is 12-1. You cannot subtract the second total
for value from the first because 12 is greater than 10, so you add 13 to
10, getting 23. Now perform the subtraction, getting a result of 11.
After performing the subtraction for suits you know the spectator's
card is the .J.
In some cases the second suit total will exceed the first suit total. In
such cases mentally add 4 to the first total. For example, the first time
through the packet you might get 10-2. The second time through the
packet you might get 9-3. In this case you cannot perform the
subtraction for suit, so you would add 4 to 2, getting 6. After
subtracting you will arrive at a figure of 3 for suits. Since Clubs was
given a value of 3, you know the chosen card is a Club. When the
52
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
figuring for value is done, you know the chosen card is the "-A.
A value of 0 or 13 means the chosen card is a king. A suit total of 0 or
4 means that the chosen card is a Diamond.
,
44. "Magi'sDetection" Notes
SinceJordan's time, a number of magicians .have offere~ si~pli?ed
methods of card counting. A radically streamlined system IS this. First,
do not count picture cards. You can take a chance that the spectator
willnot choose a picture card, or you can request that he not choose a
picture card because they are difficult to memorize. The feat will still
be impressive, but your mental work is made much easier.
When silently totaling the cards you will ignore jacks, queens and
kings. Ignore 10's as well. When your silent total exceeds 10, subtract
10and continue totaling the cards. You should find it easier to add to
10 than to add to 13. When you have finished counting the packet,
your total will be a number less than 10. The system of counting to 10
rather than to 13 was devised byJoe Berg.
The most important simplification is to ignore suits entirely. After
the value of the chosen card has been determined, take a guess as to
the color of the chosen card. Say, "You chose a red card, didn't you?"
If he answers yes, say, "A Heart, right?" If he says yes, name the card.
If he says no, it was a Diamond. Name the card.
If he says no to red, you say,"A Club, right?" If he saysyes, name the
card. If he says no, you know it was a Spade, so you name the card
anyway.
The best way to practice is with a full deck of 52 cards. The first few
times you try it using this system, it may take you several minutes to
count through the deck. With a moderate amount of practice you will
be able to count through the deck in less than a minute. Expert card
COunterscan go through the deck in less than 30 seconds.
Remember that you count spot cards only. Ignore picture cards and
10'5.This means that you have to count only 36 cards. The total for the
complete run of spot cards is O. If you get some other total you know
you made a mistake. Anyone seeing the demonstration will see you
deal through the entire deck. They will assume you are memorizing all
52 ca.rds'. The fact that picture cards and IO's do not enter into your
figunng IS not apparent to the audience, so it looks like a demonstration of amazing power of memory.
45. The Impenetrable Stop Trick

A well-kept secret of the gambling fraternity is a technique known as
the punch deal. With this technique cards are marked, but not so they
Gambling Secrets
53
Fig. 42
are recognized on sight. Rather, they are marked so they can be

detected by sense of touch. Since the mark on the card is felt as the
card is dealt, the gambler need never look at the deck to know which
cards are being dealt to whom. Jordan utilized this technique in the
context of a fine location trick.
Anyone removes the joker and shuffles his own pack. Then he
thrusts the joker anywhere into the deck, notes the card lying directly
above it, squares the deck and cuts it once or twice.
Then he deals the deck into two face-down heaps, a card to each
heap alternately. The fifty-third card is dealt onto the first heap. He
examines the cards and gives you the heap containing the joker. Up to
this point the magician has not touched the deck, nor does he know the
location of any card in the deck.
The spectator holds one packet and the magician the other. Cards
are dealt sim ultaneously off the tops of both packets until the magician
calls stop. When the spectator turns over the card at the top of his
heap, it proves to be his chosen card.
While the spectator shuffles the deck, pick up the joker and
press the nail into its face. This causes a slight protrusion, called a
punch, on the back of thejoker. A view seen from the long edge of the
card is shown in Figure 42.
The spectator inserts the joker into the deck, notes the card above it,
and deals the deck into two heaps. When he hands you the heap
containing the joker, note whether it is the 26-card heap or the 27-card
heap.
Place the packet in the left hand. Let the left thumb lie naturally
across the top of the deck. As the cards are dealt, they will slide out
from under the thumb. Thus you can instantly detect the joker when it
is dealt because the thumb will feel the raised portion on the back of
the joker.
If the spectator gave you the 27 -card heap, his card lies at the same
position in the other heap. If he gave you the 26-card heap, his card
lies one card deeper in his heap than the joker lies in yours. In either
case, you stop him at the chosen card.
Method:
54
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
46. It's Up to You

A card is chosen and returned to the deck. The spectator then deals
the deck into several face-down heaps. He can deal the cards into two,
three or four heaps. "The choice is yours," the magician says, "It's up
to you." After the deal the spectator finds the heap containing the
chosen card and gives this heap to the magician.
.
The magician, who may be blindfolded, deals the cards one at a tIme
from this heap. Though he does not see the face of a single card, he
correctly stops at the chosen card.
Method: The technique is the punch deal described in the previous
trick, but in this case three cards are "punched" according to the
technique illustrated in Figure 42. When you borrow the deck, count it
by dealing one card at a time from -the top of the deck onto a
face-down heap. This gives you the opportunity to dig the nail of the
right second finger into the center of the face of the second, third and
fourth cards you deal. These cards become the second, third and
fourth cards from the bottom of the deck after the deal.
After dealing the cards, gather the deck and spread it for the
selection of a card by the spectator. The card is replaced on top. Cut
the deck and complete the cut to lose the card, then hand the deck to
the spectator.
Ask the spectator to deal the deck into two, three or four heaps.
When he has completed the deal, ask him to give you the heap that
contains his card. The chosen card will always be the card directly
belowthe punched card in that packet.
The way to detect the punched card is to hold the packet in the left
hand so the thumb rests at the center of the top card. The right hand
removes cards one at a time by sliding them out from under the left
thumb. As soon as the chosen card is taken, the left thumb will contact
the bump or punch mark on the back of the card. This tells you that
the card in the right hand is the chosen card.
47. Punched Card Notes

You ~ay find it easier to put the bump ~r punch into the card by using
the nght forefinger- rather than the middle finger. One technique I
have ~~ed IS to put the work in with the right thumb, Figure 43. When
practlcmg, use Jok~rs and P':ltpunch marks in at various Spots on each
Joker. Yo~ can easily detect It when a sufficiently noticeable punch has
been put m because, If you use the technique shown in Figure 43, you
- GamblingSecrets
S5
diJ]~
/!! ..~\
Fig. 43
Fig. 44
will feel the thumbnail press against the forefinger. The work can be
put in quickly and without your having to look at the right hand.
A variation is this: Have someone shuffle his own deck and cut it into
two heaps. Take the top card of each. Let a spectator on the left see the
face of one card and a spectator on the right see the face of the other
card. The situation is as shown in Figure 44. Whilethe spectator on the
left looks at his card, you punch the card in the right hand. When the
spectator on the right looks at his card, put the punch into the card in
the left hand.
The important point to note is that the punch is put into the center
of the left-hand card and the right side of the right-harrd card. Return
the cards to the top of their respective heaps. Have the spectator
shuffle and cut the entire deck. You then deal cards off the top,
stopping when you deal a chosen card. Then you return each card to
the correct spectator. TflUSyou know not only what the cards were, you
know who chose which card. The key to it is the fact that the punch
mark was put into the center of the left-hand card and a different spot
on the right-hand card.
If your grip is strong enough, you can punch two or more cards
simultaneously. Place one card on top of another in a slightly fanned
condition, then punch both cards at once. Objects other than the
thumbnail can be used. For example, scatter several coins of different
denominations on the table. Then have a spectator deal a card on top
of each coin. Tell him to indicate one of the cards. Pick up the card and
the coin simultaneously by pressing down on the card with the
forefinger so that the finger contacts the coin through the thickness of
the card. Slide the card and coin toward you. Then pick up both. Have
the spectator remember the card and the denomination of the coin.
Repeat with the remaining cards and coins. Then have the chosen
cards shuffled back into the deck.
Hold the deck in the left hand and deal cards off the top. Each coin
will have made an indentation on the card it was under, and these
indentations are easy to detect by sense of touch. Further, when you
come to one of these punched cards, merely by glancing at the face of
the card you can judge the size of the coin by noting the size of the
indentation. Thus you not only identify this as one of the chosen cards,
you then go on to reveal the coin that was originally under this card.
56
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
48. The Sagacious Joker

This is one of Jordan's most famous card tricks. Several pe?J:lle choose
cards and conceal them in their jacket pockets. The magIcian places
the joker into each spectator's pocket. As soon as the joker touches the
chosen card, the magician names the card.
Method: The ingenious
handling makes use of a form of the oneahead system whereby each randomly selected card is switched for a
known card. Since the switchestake place with the cards in the pocket,
the method is perfectly concealed. It incorporates a little-known
gambler's method of peeking a card into the handling.
Take the borrowed, shuffled deck and reverse the joker in the deck,
explaining that you do not want someone to choose it by mistake. Then
have each of three or four spectators choose cards. They do not look at
the cards. Instead, they place the cards in their jacket pockets, faces of
the cards inwards.
Take back the deck and cut the joker to the face. As you do,
remember the card in back of the joker. Say this card is the'. 7. Show
the joker on both sides and indicate that the hands are otherwise
empty. Go to the first spectator and touch the joker to the outside of
hisjacket pocket. Say, "Your card is black. It has seven spots. But the
cloth of your jacket is thick. I'm looking through the eyes of the joker,
and the joker cannot make out the shape of the spots. I'll have to
establish direct contact with your card." The card you describe to the
spectator as being the one in his pocket is actually the card at the face
of the deck, in our example the .7.
Place the joker into his pocket. The joker faces inward. As soon as it
is Out of sight, exchange it for the card in his pocket. Say, "Ah, the
picture is clearer. Your card is the"" 7." The card you name is the card
on the bottom of the deck.
Remove the card you exchanged in the spectator's pocket, leaving
the joker behind. Hold this card face down. As you approach the
second spectator, bend the card so it is concave and glimpse the index
comer, Figure 45. In our example this card is the. 9.
Place this card in the second spectator's pocket and exchange it for
the card already there as you remark that the joker tells you his card is
the .9. Remove the random card from his pocket, leaving the .9
behind.
Advance to the third spectator. As you do, glimpse the card in your
h~nd by ~eans of the gambler's glimpse indicated in Figure 45. Say
this card IS the .2. Drop It mto the spectator's pocket, reveal his card
as the ~2 and remove the random card from his pocket, leaving the
402 behind.
Drop the random card face down on the table. Have the first
spectator step forward, remove his card (the Supposed .,7) and place it
Gambling Secrets
57
~~
~~
Fig. 45
Fig. 46
sight unseen on top of the joker. After he does this, drop the deck on
top of the two tabled cards.
Pick up the pack from above with the left hand. The fingers are at
one side and the thumb at the other. With the deck face down, the left
third finger glides back the face card. Figure 46 shows an exposed
view. As the above move is made, remark that you want to check once
more that the first card is indeed the" 7.
The right fingers withdraw the card above the bottom card. This
card is shown to be the joker. The next card is then withdrawn and
turned face up. It is the'" 7. Square up the pack and place it face down
on the table.
Again name the card in each of the other spectator's pockets. Each
party removes his card and verifies that you are correct.
49. "Sagacious Joker" Notes

This is a simplified handling that requires no moves. At the start of the
trick, remove the joker from the deck, explaining-that it is a particulariy
talkative card. Then have three cards chosen and placed. sight unseen,
into the jacket pockets of the participating spectators.
Drop the joker into the first spectator's jacket pocket and exchange it
for the card already there. Remark that you are having difficulty with
this first card. Remove the indifferent card, leaving the joker in the
58
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
pocket. As you approach ~he~econd spectator, glimpse this card by the

gambler's glimpse shown.m Figure 45.
..
,
Say the glimpsed card IS the. 9. Drop It Into the second spectator s
pocket. Reveal his card to be the. 9. The~ r.emove the .random car~.
Glimpse this card. Say it is the "-2. Drop It Into the third spectat~r s
pocket. Exchange it for the card already there. Then reveal the third
spectator's card to be the "'2. Remove the random card from his
pocket, leaving the "'2 behind.
Return to the first spectator. As you do, glimpse the car~ in your
hand. Say it is the ., 7. Drop it into his pocket and exchange It for the
joker. Remark that you are still having trouble with his card. Remove
the joker, place it to your ear, then reveal the first spectator's card as
the 1/17.
By way of a variation in presentation, you can begin by having
someone remove the four aces from the deck. Have them give you the
The spectators then mix the remaining three aces. Each spectator
takes one ace and hides it in his pocket. Here you proceed into the trick
just described. using the .A instead of the joker. Patter is to the effect
that the aces tend to be tuned to the same wavelength and that the" A
can tell how the other aces are distributed. Proceed to reveal the ace
held by each spectator.
.A.
50. Impromptu Card Reader

Although most areas of card magic have been well covered in the
literature, riffle-shuffle work remains the least written about and least
performed. Typical of the ideas unique to this branch of card magic is
a subject known as riffle-shuffle stacking. Most laymen and many
magicians believe that the shuffle expert drops the four aces on top of
the deck and then stacks the deck so he gets the aces on the deal.
Actually it is easier to stack the deck if the aces are on the bottom.
This technique was known to Jordan. He incorporated it into an
impromptu mental mystery that would fool even card experts. The
effect is that the magician gives the deck several shuffles. The
spectator cuts off and discards about two-thirds of the deck. Then he
deals the remainder of the deck into five heaps. Cards in one heap are
noted. The magician immediately reveals the noted cards.
Met~o~:The secret depends on the fact that in shuffling the deck the
magician.notes se.veral cards and stacks them so they fall into the same
heap. Thl~ heap IS forced on the spectator. Since the magician knows
the cards In this heap, any card chosen from it can be immediately
revealed.
Tc:>perform the trick, take the pack and glimpse the bottom card.
Say It ISthe I/IA. Cut off the top half with the right hand. As you do,
glimpse the bottom card of this packet. Say the face card is the "'9.
Gambling Secrets
59
Fig. 47
Dovetail shuffle the two halves of the deck together, Figure 47, but in
the following way: The right thumb allows five cards to be released
from the bottom of its packet. Only then does the left thumb release
the bottom card (4A) of its packet. The balance of the two halves are
fairly shuffled together. The result is as shown in Figure 48. After the
packets have been riffled into one another, square up the deck. The
.A is sixth from the bottom and the .9 is at the bottom of the deck.
The right hand again lifts off the upper half. Note the bottom card
of this half. Say it isthe .3. At the start of the shuffle, the right thumb
releases five cards. Then the left thumb releases seven or eight cards
(any number greater than six). The remainder of the packets are then
fairly shuffled together. After the deck is squared up, the.
3 will be
on the bottom, the .9 will be sixth from the bottom and the A will
be eleventh from the bottom of the deck.
For the final shuffle, cut off the top half with the right hand. As the
dovetail shuffle begins, the right thumb releases four cards. The left
thumb releases at least 12 cards. Then the balance of the packets are
fairly shuffled together. Square up the deck. The. 3 is fifth from the
bottom, the
is tenth from the bottom and the .A is fifteenth from
the bottom.
Hand the deck to the spectator and have him cut off and discard
about two-thirds of the deck. Have him count the number of cards he
cut offto be sure there are about 34 cards in the packet. Then have
him discard this packet.
He then deals the balance of the deck into five heaps. Generally,
there will be three cards to a heap with a few left over. If there are
three to a heap and none left over. the three noted cards are in the first
heap. The bottom card is the 4A, the next card is the "'9 and the top
card is the. 3.
.9
Fig. 48
60
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
If one card is left over, the cards lie in the same order but they are in
the second heap dealt by the spectator. If two cards are left over, the
noted cards are in the same order but in the third heap. If three cards
are left over, the noted cards are in the fourth heap. If four cards are
left over, the noted cards are in the filth heap.
51. Henry Gavin's False Cut

If you use the riffle-shuffle system described in the preceding trick,
"Impromptu Card Reader," you may want to follow it with a false cut.
The Gavin False Cut depends on an apparent oversight for its success.
Since its publication by Jordan in 1919, it has become a widely used
method of giving the deck a false cut.
To perform the cut, place the deck on the table. Have the spectator
cut off the top half, which we will call packet 1. Have the spectator
place this packet on the table alongside the balance of the deck (Packet
2) as shown in Figure 49A.
Pickup packet 2 and place it on top of packet I but jogged forward a
half-inch, Figure 49B. The right hand then lifts the deck to place it
into the left hand, but in the process it leaves behind a few cards from
the bottom of packet I as shown in Figure 49C.
Grasp packet 2 with the left hand. The right hand then takes the
packetjogged in and slaps it onto the tabled cards, Figure 49D. In the
same motion it picks up all of packet J and slaps it onto the packet in
the left hand.
This completes the move. It appears as if the deck has been given a
fair cut but in fact the cut is false. The deck is back in its original order.
Fig.49A
Fig.49C
Fig. 498
Fig.49D
Sieight-of-Hand Tricks
I
I!
Tricks using sleight of hand are described in almost documentary form

in the current literature. Virtually all effects and sleights have names.
In jordan's time few effects and methods were written about so frequently as to become standardized. The result wasthat the handling of
cards tended to be less patterned and somewhatmore unorthodox
than in contemporary tricks.
This chapter contains some. of jordan's best sleight-of-hand card
tricks. The reader should refer to such textbooksas Expert Card Technique for descriptions of standard moves like the pass and palm. The
innovations introduced by Jordan are described in detail.
52. Bewildero
From a complete deck of 52 cards the spectator looks at a card at a
chosen number from the face of the deck. Sayhe notes the card twelfth
from the face. With the deck face down he deals the top 40 cards into
the performer's hand. The spectator's card is thus the top card of his
own packet.
The. spectator shuffles his cards, then deals them onto the table.
There are only II cards and the chosen card is missing. This card is
then removed from the performer's pocket.
Method: The trick depends on the fact that one card is secretly stolen
from the deck. Thus the deck contains 51 cards and not, as the
spectator believes, 52 cards. Since the count is always off by one card,
the chosen card automatically ends up on the magician's packet instead
of the spectator's.
After the spectator shuffles the deck, take it back and palm off the
top card. Drop it into the pocket as the hand goes into the pocket for a
rubber band. Snap the band around the deck and toss the banded deck
to a spectator.
Have the spectator remove the rubber band and note a card and its
position from the face of the deck. Ask him to also note the card
behind his card. We will assume he notes the .6 and that it is twelfth
from the face ofthe deck. Assume the card behind the .6 is the. A.
62
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Have the spectator silently subtract his number from 52.and. deal that
number of cards into your palm. He gets 52 - 12 = 40 In this ca.se, S?
he deals 40 cards onto your palm. He thinks he has 12 cards In h~s
hand and that the top card of his packet is the chosen card. He IS
wrong on both counts. The chosen card is actually on top of your
packet. His packet contains only 11 cards.
.
.
Lift the top two cards off your packet a~ If they were a. smgle card.
Showhim the face of this double card. It will be the lilA. Since the .A
wasbehind the .6 originally, he is assured that the.6 is on top of his
packet.
.
. .
.
Havehim take the top card of his packet and bury It In the middle of
the packet. Then tell him to shuffle his cards. He deals his cards and
finds that he does not have 12 cards. He has only II. One card has
vanished. When he looks through his packet he finds that the missing
card is the .6. During this time you have ample opportunity for
misdirection to palm off his card and drop it into the pocket. The card
may then be produced as you wish.
Jordan notes that this method of card control can be applied to the
card in a pocketbook, whereby a card ends up inside a change purse,
or in a sealed envelope. The card can be glimpsed while it is on top of
the performer's packet and then shuffled into position to which it can
later be spelled.
53. Bewildero II
This trick is designed as a sequel to "Bewilder-c." A card freely chosen
and buried in the deck by the spectator is later found between the two
black aces. The routine is an early version of the popular "trapped"type effect in which a random card becomes trapped between two
other cards.
.A
Method: Taking the shuffled pack, you proceed to look through it

openly and place the
at the face of the deck. Then place the "'A at
the face of the deck. Secretly get a left-little-finger break under the
three face cards. When you lift the black aces away with the right hand,
you actually lift the three cards above the break. Hand the balance of
the deck to the spectator.
Have him deal any number of cards onto the table in a face-down
heap. Say he deals nine cards. Turn the ace packet face down while he
deals. T~en lift the top two cards as one with the right hand.
The nght hand shows the face ofthe
as you drop the right-hand
cards onto the nJne-card packet. Say, "Now we have ten cards." The
spectator removes any card from the balance of the deck as his chosen
card. Say this card is the .4. He places this card on top of the .A. Of
course he does not ~now that there is an indifferent card on top of the
.A. Ashe places his card Onto the dealt packet, say, "Your card makes
.A
I!."
Sieight-of-Hand
Tricks
63
Now show the "-A and drop it onto his card. Say, "And this makes
12,leaving 40 cards in the rest of the deck. Remember that your card is
between the black aces." He then drops the balance of the deck on top
of the dealt packet, squares the cards and holds them face down in his
left hand.
Remind him that the .A lies directly above hiscard. Have him deal
cards into your left hand until he has dealt all of the cards above the
-"'A. Since this is 40 cards, he deals 40 cards onto your outstretched
palm. When he has dealt the final card, get a left-little-finger break
under it.
Have him deal the next card onto your cards. Remark that this must
be the "'A. As you speak, double lift by taking the two cards above the
break as one. Show the face of the double card to be the .A. Replace
the double card onto your packet. Have him bury the next card, that is,
the top card of his packet, into the center of his packet. He believes this
to be his chosen card, the .4. After he has done this, have him look at
the next card. It is the .A,just as it should be. Take it from him and
place it on top of your packet. Then place your packet on top of the
spectator's cards.
Ask him if, by a singlecut, he can cause the twoblack aces to find his
card. Whatever his answer, hand him the deck and have him give it a
straight cut. When he then turns the deck face up and examines the
cards, he discovers that his card is once again between the black aces.
54. The Barefaced Detection

The spectator shuffles and cuts his own deck. The performer then
places the deck face down on his left palm. The spectator lifts off a
portion of cards, shuffles them and places them face down on the
performer's right palm. He then looks at the top card of the lower half
and places that on top of the cards in the performer's right hand.
Finally he takes the packet from the performer's left hand and places it
on top of the cards in the performer's right hand.
The deck is cut a few times, then the performer fans the deck with
the faces toward the audience and slowly withdraws the chosen card.
At no time does the performer see the face of a single card.
Method: In the left hand you must have palmed, face to palm, a card of
your own. The back design does not match the borrowed deck. When
you take the shuffled deck, place it face down in the left hand directly
over the palmed card. This loads the palmed card onto the bottom of
the deck.
Follow the procedure described above for the selection and replacement of the chosen card. Fan the deck with the faces toward the
spectator. You alone can see the odd-backed card in the deck. When
you spot this card, cut the deck and complete the cut so this card is on
the bottom of the deck. Square the deck and place it face down in the
64
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
left hand. Remove the top card. As the right hand tosses this card out
to the spectator (it is the chosen card), the left hand slips the
odd-backed card into the leftjacket pocket.
If you want to do the trick on an impromptu basis, steal any car?
from the borrowed deck beforehand, and bend up a corner of this
card. Palm this card, then load it onto the bottom of the deck and
proceed as described above. Another approach is to place the deck
behind the back during a previous trick, steal a card from the deck,
bend a corner and return the card to the deck. When ready to perform
"The Barefaced Detection," locate the bent-corner card, palm it out
and proceed as described above. With this approach the deck can be
used for any follow-up trick without the need of getting rid of a
stranger card.
55. Color Divination

The premise behind this trick suggests many possibilities. Jordan's
r?utine will be given first. Then a handling for a related trick will be
gIven.
From a face-u p bon-owed deck a spectator deals the red cards face
down into your left hand, the black cards face down into your right
hand. A prediction is written. Then the spectator chooses any red card.
It is placed face down into the black packet. The prediction reads,
"You will choose the ace of Hearts." When the red card in the black
packet is located, it is seen to be the. A.
Method: Count the red cards as they are dealt onto your left hand. The
twenty-sixth or last red card is the one you will control. As it is placed
on the packet in your left hand, secure a left-third-finger break under
it, Figure 50.
As you turn to the left to put the black cards on the table, straighten
t~e left fingers. This causes the card above the break to be levered up,
F~gure51 .Glimpse the face of t~is card. Turn the black packet face up
Withthe right thumb as shown In Figure 51. Then slide the red card
under the face-up black packet, Figure 52. Place the black packet face
up on the table.
Fig. 50
Fig, 51
65
Fig. 52
Hand the red cards LO be shuffled. On a slip of paper write the name
of the glimpsed red card, in this case the. A. Fold the slip and toss it
out onto the table.
\
Turn the black heap face down. The spectator chooses any facedown red card and pushes it, sight unseen, into the black packet. Use
the two-handed pass LO bring the red card to the top of the packet
secretly. Another method is to secure a left-little-finger break above
the red card as it is pushed into the black packet. You then lift off all
the cards above the break and place them on the table. Place the
remainder of the black packet on top of all. The end result is to bring
the unknown red card back to the top of the packet and the. A to the
center.
Have the prediction read. Then spread the black packet face up,
showing that the card chosen by the spectator wasindeed the. A. You
are now in position to repeat the trick immediately by secretly
glimpsing the top card of the black packet. Write the name of this red
card on another slip of paper and then go on with the handling as
written.
56. "Color Divination" Notes

By a slight change in the presentation of "Color Divination," a
different effect can be achieved. As the audience sees it, a spectator
chooses a card and returns it to the red packet. The chosen card then
jumps invisibly to the black packet.
Method: Fan the cards of a borrowed deck face up. Explain that you
plan an experiment in color, and since red cards have less ink and are
therefore lighter, you would like the spectator to pick any red card.
After he removes a red card, shuffle the balanceof the deck. Hold it
face down in the left hand. Lift off about half the deck with the right
hand and have the chosen card replaced on top of the lower half. As
the right-hand packet is replaced on top of all, get a left-little-finger
break on top of the chosen card.
The right hand then lifts off the top quarter of the deck and places it
on the table. The right hand then lifts off all the cards above the break
and places them onto the tabled cards. Finally. the right hand places
66
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
the balance of the deck on top of all. The result is that the chosen card
is now on top of the deck.
Hand the deck to a spectator who does not know which card was
chosen. Have him sort the colors by dealing the red cards face down
into your left hand and the black cards face up into your right hand.
He begins at the face of the deck and takes the cards in order from face
to back. Unknown to him, the last card he deals into the left-hand heap
will be the chosen red card. After th~ cards have been dealt, regrasp
the right-hand packet from above.
Secure a left-little-finger break under the top card of the left-hand
packet. As you turn to the left, place the right-hand packet on top of
the left-hand packet. The right hand then lifts off the upper packet
plus the chosen card and places its cards off to the left on the table. Cut
the black packet and complete the cut. Then hand the red packet for
shuffling.
Take back the red packet. Announce that you are going to cause the
chosen card to turn over mysteriously. Deal cards off the top one at a
time, turning them face up as you deal them into a heap on the table.
When you have dealt all the way through the red packet it is seen that
the chosen card has vanished.
Say,"Your card did turn over, but it turned over in the other packet."
Spread the black packet face up. There is a face-down card in the
center of this packet. The spectator turns this card over. It is the
chosen card.
57. Reversed Cards

Cards are dealt off the deck one at a time into the right hand so that
every other card is face up. The cards are shown to alternate face up
and face down. Immediately the deck is spread to show all cards facing
the same way. The deck is ordinary.
Method: Take a borrowed deck and hold it face down in the left hand.
Swing the body to the left and deal the top card face down into the
right hand, Figure 53. Then swing to the right. The left hand turns
palm d?wn and the next card is taken face up onto the face-down card
10 the nght hand, Figure 54.
Swing to the left, turn the left hand palm down and deal the next
card face down. Swing to the right, turn the left hand palm down, and
deal the next card face up onto the right-hand cards. Continue this
wayfor about nine or ten cards.
From.then on, .when the left hand swings to the right to deal a card
face up IOta the nght hand, the right edge of the card thumbed off the
left-hand packet Contacts the left edge of the right-hand packet. The
nght fing:rspress on the back of the card, allowing it to fall face down
onto the tight-hand packet, Figure 55.
67
Fig. 55
Without hesitation, turn to the left and deal the next card face down
onto the right-hand packet. Then swing to the right and use the fake
method just described apparently to deal a card face up onto the
right-hand packet. The result is that, except for the bottom nine or ten
cards, the rest of the deck is face down.
At the end of the deal turn the pack over and spread the first eight
cards to show face-up and face-down cards alternating. Flip the deck
over. Blow on the deck and fan or spread the first 40 cards, showing
that they are now all face down. Then square up the cards, turn the
deck over and push off the first ten cards as a blockwithout spreading
them. Then show that all the others are face up.
58. Improved
Pocket to Pocket
Thirty-two cards are removed from a borrowed deck. The magician

deals them into two equal heaps. A heap is given to each of two
spectators, who pocket their respective heaps. On command two cards
invisibly leave one heap and join the other.
The secret hinges on the use of an unusual false deal. After
the cards are handed to you, place them in the left hand but with the
cards slightly fanned or spread as shown in Figure 56. Deal the first
eight cards fairly, alternating a card to each heap.
Method:
Fig. 56
68
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
On the ninth card, the right hand takes two cards as one and places
the double card onto the left-hand heap. Without hesitation deal a
single card onto the right-hand heap, then a double card onto the
left-hand heap, then a single card onto the right-hand heap.
Deal the next six cards singly, three to each heap. Then deal a
double onto the left-hand heap, a single onto the right-hand heap, a
double onto the left-hand heap, a single onto the right-hand heap and
the balance of the cards fairly. You have dealt four doubles onto the
left-hand heap. The result is that the left-hand heap contains 18 cards
and the right-hand heap 14cards.
If the deal is done without hesitation it appears as if you are merely
dividing a 32-card packet into two equal heaps. Give one to each of two
spectators to place in his pocket. Then command two cards to leave
one heap and appear in the other. The spectators remove the cards,
count them and find that two cards have indeed gone from one heap
to the other.
You will find with practice that it is not difficult to deal two cards at a
time. Since the cards are spread, the right hand can, by touch, easily
detect that it has two cards. The two cards are then dealt as one onto
the tabled heap.
One tip on the handling: As the right fingertips contact the topmost
card ofthe left-hand packet, push this card to the left until it is square
with the next card. You need not look at the deck when this is done,
becauseit is easily detected by touch alone. When the top card is square
with the next card, deal the double onto the table.
The left thumb continues pushing cards over in a spread condition,
allowingthe right hand to take a single or a double as required. When
this technique has been mastered, you may want to extend it so that the
right hand takes three cards as one, four as one and so on.
59. The Single-Card Reverse

jordan suggested that this trick and the following two be performed
one after the other. All three tricks involve effects in which cards
mysteriously reverse themselves. In the first effect, a chosen card is
pl.acednext to a known card, say the A, and the deck is assembled
with the chosen card at the center. The chosen card then reverses itself
in th~ center o~ the deck. To magicians who might see the trick, the
puzzling angle IS that the chosen card always stays adjacent to the.
A.
Method: When you get the deck, give it an overhand shuffle. The
bottom of the deck faces the right palm. As the shuffle is completed,
a~lowtwo cards to fall face down onto the extended left fingers,
FIgure 57. The back of the right hand Covers the action. The right
hand then grasps the deck and tilts it so it falls face up onto the two
face-downcards, Figure 58.
Sieight-oi-Hand Tricks
69
Fig. 56
Fig. 57
The face-up pack is fanned or spread from left to right. The right
fingers contact the bottom reversed card and draw it along under the
fan. One way to accomplish this is to grasp the deck at the ends
between the left first finger and little finger. Push several cards to the
right, Figure 59. The right middle finger then moves between the left
middle finger and ring finger. It contacts the bottom card of the deck
and draws it to the right under the spread. The left thumb then
continues to feed cards into the right hand.
Have someone remove a card at about the center. Break the deck at
this point, allowing the card under the spread to become the bottom
card of the right-hand packet. There is now a face-down card under
each face-down packet.
Drop the hands to the sides. As the spectator shows his card to the
others, turn the packets over and bring the hands up again. It appears
as if the packets are still face up, but in fact each packet consists of a
face-up card on top of a face-down packet.
Call attention to the face-up card showing on the left-hand packet.
Say, for example, this card is the. A. Have the spectator place his card
face up on the. A, Figure 60. Drop the right-hand packet on top of
the left-hand packet. taking care to keep the cards square.
ON~
F19CE.-VP Co4AO
ON ~ACH
~F:':~f:!."
fu
Fig. 60
70
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 61
The deck appears to be face up at this point. Actually there are only
three face-up cards in the deck and these are the topmost card plus two
adjacent cards in the center. The deck is held in the left hand. The
right hand grasps the top card and lifts it just enough to allow the left
hand secretly to turn over the rest of the deck, Figure 61. This can be
done by curling the left forefinger under the deck and using this
finger to lever over the deck as you swing to the left. Now the deck is
face up except for two cards in the middle. Turn the deck over so it is
facedown.
You can fan the deck to show that all the cards are face down if you
do it in the following way. Thumb over individual cards from left to
right until you near the middle of the pack. Then push over a block of
ten or 12 cards, then continue spreading individual cards to the end of
the deck.
Square the deck. Turn it over and fan it face up, a card at a time.
The left fingers must keep the lower part of the pack squared. When a
face-down card appears, break or separate the deck at this point. Place
the right-hand cards on the table. The face-down card is now the top
card of the left-hand packet.
The right hand grasps the top two cards as one and slides them
forward, Figure 62. Then these two cards are turned over as a unit and
placed on the left-hand packet. The reversed card is seen to be the
chosen card. It is dealt off, showing that the card under it is the A.
!hus, although the chosen card did not change its position in the deck,
It somehow turned over.
Fig. 62
71
60. The Half -Pack Reverse

This trick makes use ofa move called the half pass.Jordan's handling
of the half pass is well covered and fits naturally into the handling. As
seen by the audience, half the deck is turned over so that the two halves
of the pack are face-to-face. The performer takes the top card of the
assembled deck, slides it across the deck and replaces it. Now the entire
deck is seen to face the same way.
Method: When you shuffle the pack, hold it with the backs toward the
right palm. Give the deck an overhand shuffle. Allow the last three
cards to fan face up onto the left fingers. The right hand then places
the balance of the deck face down onto these three cards. This is the
same move as used in the previous trick, but done with the deck facing
the other way.
The right hand lifts off the top half of the deck and places it face up
onto the table. As this is done, the left thumb levers over the bottom
half, Figure 63. You can cover the move by having the right arm pass
in front of the left hand to screen the secret turn of the left-hand cards.
Grasp the left-hand packet from above with the right hand. The top
card of the packet is then drawn off and placed under the packet.
Show this packet on both sides. It appears to be face down.
The left-hand packet is then placed face down on top of the face-up
packet on the table. The left-hand packet is actually face up, but
because of the reversed cards on top, the packet appears to be face
down.
Pick up the complete deck, taking care to keep the cards square.
Place the deck into the left hand. Take the topmost card of the deck,
turn it face up and gently brush it against the pack. Then replace the
face-up card on top of the face-down top card.
You now spread the cards to show all of the cards face up. This is
done by pushing over a block of at least two cards from the face of the
deck into the right hand, then several single cards until you near the
72
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
center, then a block of seven or eight cards to conceal the reversed card
in the center, then individual cards to the end of the deck.
.
The handling at the finish is made easier if you do not slip a card
from the top to the bottom of the left-hand packet. Then there are no
reversed cards in the center of the deck.
Before proceeding to the next trick it is necessary to turn over the
reversed cards secretly so all cards face the same way.
61. "Half-Pack Reverse" Notes

This handling of "The Half-Pack Reverse" does away with the use of a
half pass. Also, there are no extra reversed cards to get rid of at the
finish. Begin by secretly reversing three cards on the bottom of the
face-down deck. Use the overhand shuffle method described earlier.
At the finish of the shuffle there will be three face-up cards on the
bottom of the face-down deck.
With the deck in the left hand, have the spectator lift off about half
the deck, shuffle it and place it face up on the table. As he does this,
drop the left hand to the side and secretly turn over the packet in the
left hand.
Bring the left hand up into view again. Take the top card of the
left-hand packet, place it on the bottom of the packet and hold the
packet up so someone on the left can see the card. Ask him to
remember this card.
Lower the hand. Transfer the next card from top to bottom of the
packet. Hold the packet up so someone on the right can see this card.
Tell him to remember the card. Lower the hand. Place the packet on
top of the face-up packet on the table. You are apparently placing the
two halves of the deck face-to-face. The entire deck is actually face up
except for the two chosen cards in the middle and the topmost card of
the pack.
Pick up the deck. Take care to keep it squared. Turn it over and
place it onto the left hand. Slide the bottom card out. It will be face up.
Turn it face down, wave it over the deck and place it face down on top
ofthe deck.
Spread the deck on the table. The entire deck is seen to be face down
except for the two chosen cards in the middle. Turn these two cards
facedown and proceed immediately into the final trick of the routine.
62. The Alternate Reverse

This is an excellent version of a classic effect. As seen by the audience,
cards are dealt one at a time, the first one face up, the next face down,
the next face up and so on, so that face-up and face-down cards
73
Fig. 64
Fig. 66
alternate throughout the pack. With a snap of the fingers the magician
causes the entire deck to turn face down.
Method: Hold the deck face up in the left hand. Swing the body to the
left. As you do, thumb off the face card and take it into the right hand,
Figure 64. Then swing to the right, as if to give the spectators on the
right a better view, turn the left hand palm down and deal the next
card face down onto the right-hand card, Figure 65.
Swing to the left, turn the left hand palm up and deal the next card
face up onto the right-hand cards. Swing to the right, turn the left
hand palm down and deal the next card face down onto the right-hand
cards. Continue in this manner, clearly showing that face-up and
face-down cards alternate. After you have dealt about a dozen cards,
fan the right-hand cards to show that face-up and face-down cards
alternate.
As the cards are dealt, the right thumb assists in taking them into the
right hand. Allow the cards to click off the left fingers. This adds to the
rhythmic nature ofthe deal.
When the twenty-sixth card has been dealt face down into the right
hand, the right first finger moves to a position on top of the right-hand
packet. Figure 66. The arms swing to the left. The left hand turns
palm up as before, but a packet exchange takes place. The left-hand
packet is taken between the right thumb and first finger. The
right-hand _packet is simultaneously taken between the left first and
L__
74
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 67
Fig.67A
second fingers. The exchange is shown in Figures 67 and 67 A. As the

upper packet is taken, it is allowed to snap off the other packet to
emulate the sound of a card being taken.
The situation now is that the right hand holds. half the deck. All of
the cards in this packet are face up. The left hand holds the balance of
the deck. The cards alternate face up and face down. The top card of
this packet is face down.
Tilt the hands up so the audience cannot see the faces of the cards.
Immediately swing to the right. Turn the left hand palm down.
Thumb off a card onto the right-hand packet. Swing the hands to the
left. Turn the left hand palm up. Thumb off a card onto the
right-hand packet. All appears the same as before, but now you are
unmixing the left-hand cards. Unknown to the spectator, all of the
cards are being dealt face up into the right hand. Continue the process
with the remaining cards in the left hand. The deck appears to be
hopelessly mixed. but when you spread the deck on the table. all the
cards are seen to face the same way.
The reader may find it easier to handle the packet exchange with
fewer cards. Thus if about half the deck is used, the effect is just as
strong and the handling is a bit easier.
More Impromptu Card Tricks

All of the tricks in this chapter are done with ordinary cards. They require little or nothing in the way of prior preparation. Many of these
effects are in the miracleclass. The reader's attention is directed particularly to "The Climax" (No. 75), a routine in which a card vanishes
without sleights or gimmicks. The method is unlike anything else in the
literature of card magic.
63. The Unknown
leaper
This famous card problem has inspired many variations since its first
publication. The spectator merely thinks of a card and remembers its
location in the deck. He gets the half of the deck containing his card.
The magician gets the other half of the deck. Despite the fact that the
card is merely thought of, it leaps invisibly from one half of the deck to
the other.
Method: Hold the deck face down in the left hand. Push cards over to
the right with the left thumb and take them one at a time with the right
hand. Each card goes onto the face of the cards already in the right
hand so that the order of the cards is maintained. The cards are held
up so the spectator can see them. Have him remember a card and its
numerical location from the top of the packet. Continue dealing until
you have dealt 26 cards into the right hand.
It is necessary to slip the top card of the right-hand packet secretly
back onto the top of the left-hand cards. This can be done by the
method in "Etad-ot-Pu" (No. 167) or by pushing the top card of the
right-hand packet backonto the left-hand cards with the right thumb.
Another method is to place the right-hand packet on top of the deck.
Then lift off the top half from above with the right hand and hand it
to the spectator. As you do, the left fingers retain the top card,
Figure 68. The result is that the thought-of card is not at the
remembered
number but rather at a position one less than the
remembered number.
You then deal a card from the top of your packetonto the table. The
76
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 68
spectator deals a card from the top of his packet on~oyour.dealt card.
The process continues until the spectator tells you his card IS on top of
his packet. He does not know that his card is actually the top card of
the dealt packet.
Pick up the dealt packet and place it off to the left, but as you do.
bring it over the left-hand packet. The left fingers draw off the top
card as in Figure 68. The spectator meanwhile turns up the top card of
his packet and finds that theuhought-of card is not there.
Turn up your top card to show that the chosen card somehow
leaped to the top of your packet.
Jordan suggested a variation in handing that used the top change.
After the card has been chosen and you have secretly slipped the top
card onto your half of the deck, place your half on the table. Give him
the other half. Now take the top card of your packet with the right
hand and place it into the left hand. The spectator places the top card
of his packet onto the card in your left hand. Take the next card from
your tabled packet and place it on the left-hand cards. The spectator
then places his top card onto the card in your left hand. Continue in
this way until the spectator thinks his card is on top of his packet.
Actuallyit is on top of your packet.
When he calls stop. pick up the top card of your tabled packet. As he
turns over the top card of his packet, top change your right-hand card
for the top card of the packet in your left hand. He finds that his card
is gone. Turn over the card in your right hand to show that somehow
you got his card.
64. "Unknown
leaper" Notes
This is a self-working approach to a similar "Leaper" effect. Alternate

12 face-up red cards with 12 face-down black cards. Then give the
packet of 24 cards several random cuts, ending with a face-down card
on top of the packet.
Ask the spectat<:-r for a number between 1 and 12. Say he names 4.
Hold the packet m the left hand. Remark that you will COunt only
fac~-downcards. Push smgle cards over to the right without reversing
their order. Count aloud as each face-down card is pushed over.
,
,
'
77
When you get to the fourth face-down card, push it forward with the
left thumb so the spectator can take it. As he does. drop the right hand
to the side and secretly reverse the packet in that hand. After the
spectator looks at his card, have him replace it face down on top of the
cards in the right hand. At this point, the right hand contains six cards
plus the spectator's card.
The left hand contains a packet that has a face-up red card
uppermost. Flip this packet over onto the cards in the right hand to
bury the spectator's card. Then square up the entire packet. This is a
simple handling sequence that can be done casually since there is
nothing to hide.
Jog up all of the face-down cards as you come to them. Then strip
out the jogged packet. This packet contains all of the red cards plus the
spectator's card. Keep this packet for yourself. Give the black packet to
the spectator.
He turns this packet face down and deals to the fourth card. It
should be his card, but it is not. Should he look through the rest of the
packet he will find that his card has vanished.
Hold the red packet at the fingertips. Remove cards one at a time
from the bottom of this packet, tossing them face up onto the table as
you deal them. When you get to the fourth card pause for dramatic
effect, then turn this card face up. It is the spectator's card.
65. With the Mind's Eye

In this routine a simple means is exploited to create a baffling effect
with a borrowed deck. The emphasis is on the paranormal. The climax
of the trick is delayed in the sense that, although the identity of the
chosen card is known early in the trick, it is not revealed until a later,
more dramatic, moment.
The performer
is blindfolded. A card is then chosen from a
borrowed shuffled deck by the spectator. The card is noted and placed
on top of the deck. Then the deck is cut to lose the card.
The blindfolded magician remarks that the darkness created by the
blindfold, in combination with the power of the audience's concentrated thought, will enable him to see with the mind's eye. He deals
cards off the top of the deck. Without asking a question he announces
the name of the chosen card. Then he turns up the card he has just
dealt. It is the chosen card.
Method: The routine wasinvented by JamesJ. Moran and marketed by
Jordan in 1919. The secret depends on the subtle use of a key card.
Although the trick requires the ability to palm a card, a note later on
willprovide the reader with an easier method.
When the performer is about to be blindfolded, he palms the top
78
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 69
card of the deck. The arms are folded to conceal the palmed card. The
performer glimpses the face of this card as indicated in Figure 69.
A spectator shuffles the deck and chooses a card. He hands the deck
to the performer, who takes the pack in his left hand. The chosen card
is replaced on top. Then the performer takes the deck with his right
hand and leaves the palmed card on top.
He cuts the deck at the midpoint and completes the cut. Then he
cuts the top three-quarters of the deck to the bottom. Finally he cuts
the top quarter of the deck to the bottom. It appears as if the deck has
been cut at random, but at this point the chosen card is in the center of
the pack.
The conjuror deals cards from the top of the face-down pack into a
face-up heap on the table. As he deals he hesitates, explaining that
adverse thoughts seem to be interfering. As he deals, he: looks down
the blindfold until he spots his key card. The next card he deals is the
chosen card. While dealing, he has been silently counting the cards, so
he now knows the location and identity of the chosen card in the deck.
The magician continues dealing until the entire deck has been dealt
into a face-up heap. Then, apparently unable to get a clear mental
impression, he picks up the deck, turns it over and says that he will try
again.
.
As he deals cards off the top he keeps silent count. When he gets to
the card before the chosen card he stops and reveals the identity of the
chosen card. Then he turns over the next card to show that it is the
spectator's card.
If you do not palm cards, there is an easy way to establish a key card.
At the beginning of the trick let the spectator shuffle the deck. While
he does, Spot the bottom card. If you cannot get a clear view of the
bottom card, take back the deck and give it a shuffle or two, glimpsing
the bottom card in the process.
Once the bottom card is known, hand the deck to the spectator and
proceed exactly as written above. The key card will end up directly
abovethe chosen card after the card has been chosen, replaced and the
deck given a cut.
66. The Twentieth-Century
79
Puzzle
Four spectators withdraw cards from the deck and note the cards. One
of these cards is chosen and placed in the center of the deck. The
magician holds the deck to his forehead and reveals the card. The
effect is repeated with each of the remaining cards.
The secret is a clever use of the one-ahead principle. Prior to
performance, spot the bottom card of the deck. Saythis card is the 49.
Cut the deck, bringing the 49 to the center, and fan the deck. Keep
track of the whereabouts of the _9. One way to accomplish this is as
follows. After you have noted the bottom card, place the deck on the
table. Lift off the top halffrom above and place it in the left hand. Pick
up the remainder of the deck. As you place it on top of the left-hand
cards, obtain a left-fourth-finger break. under the left-hand glimpsed
card. This break marks the location of the glimpsed card. Have four
people take cards from the deck. It is an easy matter to have someone
choose the _9 since you have four chances to force this card.
Assume for this discussion that the chosen cards are the A, .3,
... 3 and the .9. Except for the .9, you would not know the identity
of any other card. After the four cards have been removed and looked
at, take back the four cards. When you take the 49, place it on the
bottom of the packet. Place the packet face down on the table. When
handling the packet make it clear that you do not glimpse the faces of
any cards.
Pick up the deck and note the bottom card. This card, which we will
say is the joker, will be your key card. Place the top card of the packet
of chosen cards on top of the deck. Cut the deck and complete the cut.
Pretend to concentrate. Then announce that the chosen card you just
cut into the deck is the 49. One of the spectators willacknowledge that
he chose the .9.
Turn the deck so the faces are toward you, run through the deck
and cut the jokerto the bottom. Note the top card of the pack. It willbe
one of the chosen cards. Say it is the A. Place the. A face down on
the table near you as you patter about removing the'" 9 from the deck.
Pick up the next chosen card, making it clear you do not glimpse the
card. Drop it on top and cut the deck. Announce that this card is the
A, thus naming the card you just removed from the pack.
Run through the deck, locate the joker and cut it to the bottom.
Another chosen card is on top. Say it is the. 3. Remove it and place it
face down on LOpof the. A.
Place a third chosen card on top of the deck, cut the deck and
complete the cut. Announce that this card is the. 3. Run through the
deck with the faces toward you, and cut the joker to the bottom. The
... 5 will be on top. Remove it and place it on top of the. 3.
Place the last card on top of the deck, cut the deck and complete the
cut. Pretend to concentrate. Then announce that this card is the "-5.
Method:
80
Turn the deck so only you can see the faces. Cut the" 9 to the top and
add it to the top of the tabled packet. Slip the top card to the bottom of
the packet, then hand the packet to the spectator. All the cards are now
in the same order in whichyou read them.
The trick is easier to do if you mark a pencil dot in the up~er-Ieft
and lower-right corners of the back .of the .9 befo:ehand. Give th~
deck out for several thorough shuffles. Then take It back, spread It
face down, spot the pencil-dotted card and cut it to the top. Give the
top card to one spectator, the next card to a second spectator and so
on. The trick then works as written.
67. Weirdo
The spectator calls out any number between I and 52. The magician
demonstrates how the spectator is to count to the number. Then he
writes a prediction and gives it to someone to hold. The spectator
counts down to the chosen number and ends up on, for example, the
.7. The prediction is opened and it is found that the magician
predicted the. 7 would be chosen.
The trick is immediately repeated. Though a different number is
chosen and a different card arrived at, the prediction is still correct.
When the spectator hands you the borrowed pack, secretly

glimpse the bottom card. Say it is the.
7. Write the name of this card
on a slip of paper and hand it to someone to hold. Have a number
between 30 and 40 called out. Say the number is 38. Silently subtract
38 from 52, getting 14. Remember that the spectator's number is
alwayssubtracted from 52.
Pick up the pack and explain he is to deal in the manner you
illustrate. Since the result of your silent arithmetic was 14, you are
going to deal 14 cards onto the table. But as you begin the deal,
glimpse the top card. This can be done by the method described in
"The Sagacious Joker" (No. 48) as the top card is taken off the deck
and placed on the table. Remember this card because it will become the
card you predict when the trick is repeated. Say this card is the .A.
After you deal 14 cards, saying, "You would deal like this, to 14 if
that were your number," drop the balance of the deck onto the dealt
cards. The situation now is that the 7 is thirty-eighth from the top of
the deck and the .A is on the bottom.
Before proceeding, remark that the deck should be cut. Have the
spectator hand you the top half. Then perform "Henry Gavin's False
Cut" (No. 51). The result is that the deck is back in its original order.
Hand the deck to the spectator. Have him count off his number in
this case 38. He turns up the last card he dealt and finds that it is the
.7. Have the prediction opened and read.
Method:
81
Fig. 70
The repeat is based on a subtle idea. After predicting that the .A
will be chosen, place the balance of the deck onto the dealt cards. The
.A is now fourteenth from the top of the deck. Place the deck on the
table, but as soon as it is on the table, slide it forward so that the bottom
six cards spread as shown in Figure 70.
Have the spectator call out a number between 13 and 20. The lower
of these two numbers is always one less than the present location of the
predicted card. The higher number is six greater than the present
location of the predicted card.
If the spectator callsout 14, square the deck, hand it to him and have
him count to the fourteenth card. If he calls out 15, grasp the deck
from above. The right thumb contacts all but one of the spread cards
and pushes them square with the deck. Then the deck is lifted and
placed into the left hand. Pretend to notice the card you left behind on
the table and place it on top of the deck. Hand him the deck and have
him count to the fifteenth card. It will be the _A.
If he should name 17, the right thumb pushes all but the last 3 cards
square with the deck. This situation is illustrated in Figure 70. The
deck is placed into the left hand. Pick up the three cards left behind on
the table and add them to the top of the deck. Have the spectator count
to the seventeenth card and check it against your prediction.
You can see that any number called out by the spectator can be
handled by this procedure. The strong point of the repeat is that the
audience is not aware that you know the second card to be chosen long
before the spectator callsout a number. Note too that the handling of
the deck during the action depicted in Figure 70, when the cards are
squared and placed into the left hand, with a fewcards left on the table
as an apparent oversight, is similar to the Henry Gavin False Cut used
in the first part of the trick. Thus the handing appears consistent.
In using the adjustment method of Figure 70 do not spread the
cards more than a sixteenth of an inch from one another. ] f the right
hand rests on the deck and the right thumb at the near side, you can
slide the thumb back, allowing it quietly to "click"off the spread cards,
until it is in the correct position. This can be done without looking at
the deck as you patter. Then the deck can be instantly picked up with
the right hand and placed into the left hand. The desired number of
cards will have been left behind without fumbling.
L__
82
68. The Fade-Out Vanish

Anyone removes ten cards from his own deck. He is shown the cards
one at a time and is asked to pick any card. Then the cards are passed
before him again, but the chosen card has vanished.
Method: When the spectator has taken ten cards fro~ the deck, hold
them in the left hand. Spread them from left to right between the
hands. Have the spectator touch any card.
Hold the spread cards up so he can see the face of the chosen card.
Asyou close up the spread, the left thumb contacts the back of his card
and draws it downward about a half inch, Figure 71. The backjogged
or downjogged condition of his card is hidden by the left fingers.
Square up the packet and hold it in the left hand.
Fig. 71
Fig. 72
Now deal the cards, one at a time, from the left hand into the right
hand. Each card goes onto the face of the cards in the right hand. Hold
the packet so the spectator can see the faces of the cards.
When you get to the chosen card, angle the lower-left corner of the
right-hand packet under this card, Figure 72. Then the left thumb,
whichcontacts both the chosen card and the card under it in Figure 72,
slidesboth of these cards to the right. The result is that a card is visibly
dealt to the face of the right-hand packet while the chosen card secretly
slidesOnto the back of the right-hand packet. Properly performed, this
is undetectable.
Continue to COunt the remaining cards. There are only nine, and the
chosen card is missing. You can thumb off the chosen card into the
rightjacket pocket and later produce it from the pocket.
69. An Impromptu Detection

A borrowed, shuffled deck is used. The spectator cuts the deck
completes the cut. Then he deals a packet of cards onto the table.
looksat the top card of the deck and then replaces the dealt portion
top of all to bury his card. Finally, he gives the deck a cut
compl.etes the cut. Under these seemingly impossible conditions
magician locates the chosen card.
~_
and
He
on
and
the
Fig. 73
83
Fig. 74
s
Fig. 75
Fig. 76
Method: When the shuffled deck is handed to you, square it on all sides
and secretly draw your fingernail or thumbnail diagonally across a side
edge, leaving a scratch as in Figure 73.
The spectator cuts the deck at about the center and completes the
cut. The side of the deck will now look like Figure 74.
He then counts off a number of cards less than 20. This reverses the
order of the cards, but the subtle point is that it also reverses the
diagonal scratch in the side of the deck. The side of the dealt packet
now looks as shown in Figure 75.
He notes the top card of the deck. Then he replaces the dealt packet
on top of the deck. Finally he cuts the deck at about the center and
completes the cut. The scratch mark at the side of the deck now looks
as shown in Figure 76.
With the pack face down, follow the reversed scratch mark to its
lower end. The card belowit will be the selected card. You can learn its
identity by cutting the pack so the chosen card is at the face of the top
half. Glimpse the card when you shuffle the deck. Then reveal it as
desired.
70. "Impromptu Detection" Notes

Jordan gave no specific method for putting the scratch mark on the
side of the deck. The reader may want to experiment to find the
method that works best for him. Two basic methods are detailed here.
In the first. the deck is held from above by the right hand. The left
fingers contact the face card of the deck. The left thumb begins at the
bottom card and moves upward, Figure 77, to put the scratch mark on
Fig. 77
84
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig. 78
the left side of the deck. It can also be done by moving the thumb
downward from the top to the bottom of the deck.
There are many ways of covering the move. For example, with the
deck gripped as shown in Figure 77. place it against the forehead as
you remark that you need to establish the correct mental frequencies
in order for the experiment to work. As the deck is lifted, the left
thumb instantly puts in the scratch mark. Hold the deck against the
forehead for a second, then hand it to the spectator and proceed with
the trick.
The other approach is to put in the work with the left forefinger.
Hold the deck from above by the right hand. The left forefinger
moves to a position under the deck as shown in Figure 78. The
fingernail applies the scratch mark by moving from the face of the
deck to the back as it slides along the side of the pack.
In this method, because the work is done on the underside of the
pack, the move is well covered. The work can be put in as the deck is
taken from one spectator and handed to another.
Use an older deck because the scratch mark shows up better. Make
sure the deck has been carefully squared before running the fingernail
along the side. Not only does this insure that the mark will be smooth
and unbroken, but it means that the fingernail willnot click as it moves
over the cards.
In Figure 78 the fingernail slides along the side of the deck from the
bottom to the top. Generally this is more silent than moving the
fingernail in the opposite direction. Shuffling the deck after the trick
destroys the evidence of a scratch mark.
71. Satan's Prophecy

Two useful. and subtle principles are employed in this routine. As seen
by the audience, half of a shuffled deck is placed inside a card case.
Four cards are removed from the other half and one card is chosen.
This card vanishes and appears inside the card case', in the packet
placed there at the start, at a number previously chosen by the
spectator.
85
Method: When removing the borrowed deck from its card case at the
beginning of the trick, leave one card inside the case. Note the identity
of this card. Say it is the .4. Carelessly toss the card case to the table so
that the open end is away from the audience.
While the deck is being shuffled, write on a slip of paper, "The card
to be chosen is the four of Spades, and it will be found at the same
number from the top of the packet as the number you named." Fold
the paper and hand it to someone.
Have a number between 1 and 12 called out. Say it is 7. Someone
cuts the pack and gives you either half. Holding the packet face up in
the right hand, thumb count one less than the number called out by
the spectator. In our example the spectator called out the number 7, so
you would thumb count six cards. The thumb count is done as follows.
Grasp the packet from above with the right hand, fingers in front,
thumb in back. Release cards one at a time off the right thumb until
you have the desired number. Maintain a break above these six cards.
If you do not do the thumb count, spread the packet and obtain a
break above the sixth card.
The left hand picks up the card case. Insert the packet into the case
so that the card inside the card case enters the break in the packet as
shown in Figure 79. To say it another way, the
slides between the
six cards released by the right thumb and the balance of the packet. By
starting to insert the packet cornerwise, the insertion is carried out
smoothly. Close the card case and give it to a spectator. The
is now
seventh from the top of the packet in the card case.
Have the other packet shuffled. The spectator then deals four cards
in a face-down row on the table. The performer lifts a corner of each,
beginning with the card at the left, and announces the correct name of
the first and second cards. But he calls the third card the .4,
regardless of what card it is. Then he calls out the correct identity of
the final card. Someone can jot down the names of the cards as they
are called out.
The miscalled card is now forced. Jordan does not suggest a specific
method. A simple force is to have the spectator call out a number
between 1 and 4. He calls out either 2 or 3. If 2 is called, count to the
second card from the right. If 3 is called, count to the third card from
the left. Either way you end up with the force card.
.4
.4
86
Again miscall this card as the .4. Insert. it face ~own into the pack.et.
Turn up the remaining three cards, showll~g their faces. On this point
Jordan wrote, "It is a remarkable but easily demonstrable fact that,
when the other three cards are turned face up and are seen to be
actually the ones the performer said they .were, th~ average spectator
willbe absolutely convinced that the card Inserted mto the packet ~as
the one the performer called it. Of such material are real subtleties
built!"
.
Snap the fingers. Have the spectator go thr~ugh the cards In the
packet to discover that the chosen card has vanished. Then have the
paper opened and read. Finally, have a spectator remove the packet
from the card case. He finds his card at the freely chosen number.
72. Satan's Prophecy Improved

In this version of "Satan's Prophecy" Jordan does away with the card
case. As seen by the audience, a card placed in one half of the deck
invisibly flies to the other half, ending up in a position seventh from
the top. Any deck may be used.
Fig. 80
Method: On a slip of paper write the number 7. fold the slip and place
it aside. Anyone shuffles a deck and cuts it into two packets. Take
either packet and fan the cards to show they are ordinary and well
mixed. As you pass the cards from hand to hand, bend back the corner
of the seventh card with the left thumb, Figure 80, so that you can spot
the index of this card. Say the card is the.
7. Square up this half of the
deck and place it aside.
Someone removes four cards from the other half and places them,
sight unseen, in a face-down row on the table. Turn up the first card
and call out its identity. Handle the card casually, but make sure the
audience catches a glimpse of this card.
Look at the index corner of the next card, but do not show it. Call
out the name of the card you glimpsed in the other half of the deck. In
our example this card is the .7. Immediately glimpse the third card
and call out its real name. Make sure the audience sees the face of this
card. Do the same with the last card, calling out its real identity.
87
Force the miscalled card by the procedure described in "Satan's

Prophecy." Turn up the three cards not selected so the audience can
see that these cards are the ones you named.
Pick up the force card, call it the.
7 again, and insert it face down
into the face-down packet. Hand the packet to a spectator. He looks
for the. 7 but finds it has vanished. Have the paper opened. It bears
the number 7. The spectator counts down to the seventh card in the
other half of the deck and discovers it is the. 7.
73. The Simplicity Speller

The premise of the spelling trick is that after a card has been freely
chosen and returned to the deck, the magician spells out the name of
the card, dealing one card for each letter. On the final letter, the card
he turns up is the chosen card.
In this impromptu version the spectator shuffles the deck, then
deals it into two heaps, a card at a time onto each heap. Either
face-down packet is handed to the performer. The spectator chooses
any card from the other heap. While he does this, the magician bends
the packet in hand by closing his fingers around it. This puts a
longitudinal bend in the packet. The spectator then places his card on
top of the performer's packet. Then he places the balance of the deck
on top of all.
The magician places the deck on the table. He is going to mix the
cards, apparently at random, but the chosen card will remain in its
original position. First he lifts six to eight cards off the top and places
them at A in Figure 81. Then he lifts six to eight more cards and places
this packet at B. Then he lifts all the cards above the bent or crimped
heap. This can be done by lifting at the sides or by lifting the cards at
the ends. As this packet is placed at C, tip it up a bit at the near
end-just
enough to glimpse the face card. This card is the chosen
card. Remember the identity of this card.
A group of six to eight cards is lifted from the pack and placed at D,
and another group of six to eight cards is placed at E.
The cards are then gathered in an apparently haphazard manner.
The packet at C (whichcontains the chosen card at its face) is placed on
E. This combined heap goes onto the leftmost packet (the original
bottom portion of the deck). This combined heap then goes on top of
D. Packet A goes on B, and this combined packet goes on top of the
deck. The result is that the chosen ca-d is twenty-sixth from the top of
the deck.
IiJ
...
~
,--",...---,
I
I
r--' ,....., ,.---,
, I
' I
I I
I I
, I
I ,
, I
, I
.-----
.----
:;.!
-----
A"B"C:'D',E'
I,'
t ,
,,'
II
f:
"
::1
IL..____
Fig. 81
t :
I
,
88
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Silentlycount the number of letters in the chosen card. If the card

was the +6, you would count S-I-X-O-F-D-I-A-M-O-N-D-S,
a total
of 13letters. Every card io the pack will be spelled WIthten, II, 12, 13,
14 or 15 letters. Pick the appropriate sentence opening from the
followingchart:
I. YOUPICKED OUTTHE-when the card's namecontains ten
letters.
2. YOU SELECTED THE-when the card's name contains 11
letters.
3. YOU TOOK OUT THE-when the card's name contains 12
letters.
4. YOU PICKED THE-when the card's name contains 13 letters.
5. YOUCHOSE THE-when the card's name contains14lelters.
6. YOU DREW THE-when the card's name contains15letters.
The above chart has to be memorized. In our example, in which the
.6 wasthe chosen card, sincethis card contains 13letters, you would
pickthe fourth sentence opening.
Announce to the spectator, "You picked the six of Diamonds," thus
sayingthe sentence with the proper number of letters. Spell Y-O-UP-I-C-K-E-D-T-H-E-S-I-X-O-F-D-I_A_M_O_N_D_S,
dealing
a
card for each letter. Turn up the next card and it willbe the. 6.
If you do not cut to a crimp or secretly glimpse cards, there is an
easier effect that works almost as well. Have a card chosen and returned as described above. Ask for the name of the chosen card. Silentlycount the number ofletters in the card. Pickthe appropriate sentenceopening from the abovechart, then go on to spell to the chosen
card.
74. "Simplicity Speller" Notes

Fr. Cyprian has devised an elegantly simple system for spelling any
card in the deck, with the unexpected bonus that it produces the other
three cards of the same value as well. An easy application is to a
spelling trick where the aces, kings, queens and jacks are removed
from the deck. The spectator names a value and you name a suit. He
might name king and you might name Club. You spell to the "'K and
that card turns up at the end of the spell. But then the other three
kingsturn up as well.
Stack one packet as follows from the top down: "'A-"'K-A-K-A-K_
A-K.The top card is the "'A. The next card is the "'K. Below this, aces
and kmgs alternate. A second packet is stacked like this from the top
down: '" ]-"'Q-]-Q-]-Q-]-Q. Place the two packets face down on the
table.
Tell the spec~atol' that he is to name either ace, king, queen or jack,
and that you Will name a suit He names anyone of the four values.
89
You will always name Clubs. After the composite card has been named,
it is necessary to get it to the top of its packet.
Assume he says king and you name Clubs. You want to get the tftK
to the top of its packet. To do this, pick up the ace-king packet and
place it in the left hand. The right hand grasps the packet from above
and draws it to the right. At the same time, the left thumb keeps the
top card (the .A) in place on the left palm. Slap the packet down on
top of the'" A. This move is the Downs Slip Cut shown in Figure 41.
Place the ace-king packet on top of the jack-queen packet and then
place the combined packet into the left hand. The'" K is the top card.
Explain that you will program the cards to spell to the'" K. The system
is this:
If you are going to spell to an ace, remember the numbers 9-6-2.
If you are going to spell to a king or jack, remember 10-7-2.
If you are going to spell to a queen, remember 11-8-2.
In our example we are going to spell to the "-K, so we use the
numbers 10-7-2. This means that you first deal a packet of ten cards
into a heap on the table. Deal the cards one at a time, reversing their
order. Then pick up the dealt packet and replace it on top of the cards
in the left hand. Nowdeal a packet of seven cards. Place the dealt heap
on top of the cards in the left hand. Finally deal a packet of two cards
and then replace this dealt heap onto the cards in the left hand. The
dealing can be done rapidly.
Now place the packet on top of the deck. Spell to the. K as follows.
As you say. "T-H-E," deal a card for each letter into a heap on the
table. As you say, "K-I-N-G," deal a card for each letter into a separate
heap.
As you say, "O-F," deal a card for each letter into a third heap. As
you say, "C-L-U-B-S," deal a card for each letter into a fourth heap.
There are four separate heaps on the table. Turn over the last heap.
The face card willbe the .K.
Pause to let the effect register. Then turn over each of the other
heaps. The spectator will be amazed to discover a king at the bottom of
each heap.
One more example should make clear how the system operates.
Suppose the spectator names the ace. You will name Clubs. The
composite card is the "-A. Place the ace-king packet on top of the
jack-queen packet. Put the combined packet into the left hand. Since
the'" A is already on top, there is no need to lose a card via the Downs
Slip Cut.
The spectator chose an ace, so the numbers are 9-6-2. Deal a heap of
nine cards and replace it on top of the cards in the left hand. Then deal
a heap of six cards and replace the dealt heap on top of the cards in the
left hand. Deal a heap of two cards and replace the dealt heap on top
of the cards in the left hand.
Put the packet on top of the deck. Deal a heap of three cards as you
spell T-H-E. Deal a separate heap of three cards as you spell A-C-E.
Deal a separate heap of two cards as you spell O-F. Deal a heap of five
90
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
cards as you spell C-L-U-B-S.Turn up the final heap to show the "'A
at the face. Then turn up each of the other heaps to show the
remaining three aces.
Instead of dealing into a heap, you can reverse the cards by means of
the overhand shuffle. Extending the system, you can have the spectator
name any card in the deck and you produce that card plus three more
of like value.
75. The Climax

This isJordan's solution to a difficult card problem; to bring about the
complete vanish of a playing card without gimmicks or sleights and
without having the performer touch the card itself. In a later trick,
"The Contrary Clock" (No. 88), Jordan returns to the premise, but
with an entirely different approach to the problem.
In the present trick the spectator chooses a card from a red-backed
deck. A blue-backed deck is scattered face up on the table. The
spectator is asked if he sees the blue-backed duplicate of his card.
Assume he chose the 46 from the red-backed deck. Looking over the
blue-backed cards he does see the "'6. He then gathers the bluebacked deck and immediately deals the cards off one at a time.
Although the magician never touches the blue-backed cards, the -'-6
is now found to be missing. The performer immediately produces it
from hisjacket pocket.
..."."
:+

L-.
Fig.82A
Fig.82C
Fig. 828
Fig,82D
I
91
Method: The idea is that by means of a subtle arrangement of the

blue-backed cards, the .7 and the .9 are combined to create the
illusion of a ... 6 index corner. The sequence shown in Figures 82 A-D
indicates how the cards are placed to produce the supposed ... 6 index
corner. At a casual glance it will appear that the.6 is on the table.
The same procedure is repeated with the remainder of the deck to
create index corners for the .6, .6 and .6. Since the procedure
takes a minute or two to follow correctly, it is advised that the layout be
completed before the start of the performance. The blue-backed 6's
are placed in different pockets.
From a red-backed deck remove the four 6's. Place them together,
turn the packet face up and place it near the scattered face-up
blue-backed cards. The packet appears to be part of the blue-backed
layout.
To present the trick, hand out the balance of the red-backed deck
for shuffling. Take it back, turn it face up and place it directly on top
of the four red-backed 6's. Step away. Have a spectator pick up the
red-backed deck. He does, and when he turns the deck face down, the
four 6's will be on top.
Then the spectator deals the red-backed deck into four heaps. He
chooses any heap and looks at the face card. Of course it must be a
6-spot. Ask if he sees his card anywhere in the scattered blue-backed
cards. He will say that he does. He places both hands palm down on the
face-up spread and gathers the cards. Then he deals the cards one at a
time into a face-up heap, only to discover that his card has vanished.
Produce it from the appropriate pocket.
76. "Climax" Notes

The trick is easier to do if you use only the nine cards shown in
Figure 83. The genuine blue-backed "'6 is in the jacket pocket, sealed
in an envelope or in a wallet.
The red-backed .6 is on top of its own pack. Force this card by
means of any standard force. You can use the force detailed in
"Stampedo"
(No. 1(7). Ask the spectator to call out the name of his
Fig. 83
92
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
Fig.83A
card and have him return his card to the red-backed deck and shuffle
the deck.
As he does this, place a pencil on the layout of blue-backed cards in
such a way that the point covers the lower edge of the .9. That is, the
pencil point lies between the number 9 and the Club pip, as shown in
Figure 83A. The pointed end of a nail file can also be used. The result
is a perfect illusion that the card is the .6, even at close scrutiny.
Remark that the .6 happens to be in the layout. Make sure the
spectator sees the "-6.
Pickup the pencil and use the eraser end to push the cards together,
as you remark that you do not want to touch the cards. The spectator
then completes the task of gathering together the blue-backed cards.
Wave the pencil over the packet as you say. "The eraser tends to
erase your card." The spectator deals through the blue-backed cards
and finds there is no .6. You then produce it from the pocket.
The tricks in this chapter require special gimmicks that must be made
up before the tricks can be performed. No special skill is called for. The
effects are visually strong and require little more than proper handling
for their success since the gimmicks do much of the secret work.
77. 1923 Card and Handkerchief

Since its publication in 1909, Yank Hoe's "Sympathetic Coins" has
become a classic coin effect. Jordan devised a handling using cards
rather than coins.
In the basic effect, a handkerchief is spread out on the table. The
queens are placed at the corners of the handkerchief. The Q is
covered with a square of cardboard. On command each of the other
queens joins the. Q.
jordan's method used three pairs of cards. Each pair contained two
queens joined with a paper hinge. The two queens could be fanned if
spread one way, but would cling together as a unit if fanned the other
way.
In the handling described here, the gimmick has been simplified,
though the routine is otherwise substantially the same as the original.
Required are two each of the .Q, -'oQand .Q, plus the +Q. The
backs should match the deck you intend to use. Place a Q face up on
the table. Fix a dot of magician's wax (obtainable in magic shops) to the
center of the face of this card. Place the face-up. Q on top of the Q
and press the two cards firmly together so they will adhere to one
another.
Place the -'oQface up on the table and fix the face-up .Q to it with
wax. Place the .Q face up on the table and fix the -'oQto it. There will
be a single .Q left over. The three pairs of cards plus the extra .Q
are distributed throughout the deck.
To present the trick, spread a handkerchief out flat on the table.
Spread the deck and place the. Q at the upper left corner. Place the
.Q at the upper right corner. Place the "-Q at the lower left corner
and the .Q at the lower right corner of the handkerchief. Each of the
first three cards are really pairs fixed with wax.
The square of cardboard should measure about '5 X 6". Hold it with
11
94
the right hand. The left hand picks up the t Q and shows it on both
sides. As the right hand covers the + Q with the cardboard, the left
hand spreads or separates the two cards so they are slightly fanned.
These two cards are placed at the upper-left corner of the handkerchief. The cardboard cover is dropped on top of them.
Pick up the Q and tuck it under its corner of the handkerchief.
The right-hand grip is important. The double card is clipped between
the right forefinger and middle finger. As soon as they are out of sight
under the handkerchief the two cards are spread slightly with the
thumh. Maintain the right-hand grip on the double card. Snap the left
fingers. Raise the handkerchief to show the t Q and Q now together
at the upper left corner of the handkerchief.
The cardboard is transferred to the right hand, where it is taken
between the thumb and first finger. As the right hand moves to the
right, it takes the double card along under the handkerchief,
Figure 84. In the meantime, the left hand picks up the Q and +Q
together and shows them backand front.
The left hand squares the two red queens and squeezes them
together so they adhere to one another. The square of cardboard plus
the two cards under it are dropped onto the red queens, but fanned
with the t Q at the left.
Grasp the "-Q between the left forefinger and middle finger. As you
tuck the pair under their corner of the handkerchief, secretly spread
the cards. Snap the right fingers. Lift the square of cardboard and
show that the .Q has traveled to a position between the red queens,
Figure 85.
Immediately transfer the cardboard to the left hand, where it is
taken between the thumb and forefinger. The left hand moves to the
left, taking its pair of blackqueens under the cardboard. At the same
time, the right hand picks up the "-Q and Q. These two cards are
shown on both sides, then squared and squeezed together so they
adhere. The Q is placed, fanned, on top of the tQjust as the left
95
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t (
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-~""
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--
p-
hand drops the cardboard on top of them. At the same time, the two
black queens hidden under the cardboard are added to the red
queens, but fanned.
The right hand clips the .Q between the forefinger and middle
finger. This card is tucked under the lower right corner of the
handkerchief. The left fingers are snapped. Then the left hand lifts
the cardboard and transfers it to the right hand. As the cardboard is
lifted, the audience sees that the four queens have now gathered to the
upper left corner of the handkerchief.
Pick up the two black queens with the left hand, show them in a
fanned condition on both sides, then square them up and apply
pressure so they adhere together. At the same time, bring the
cardboard (with the 4IlQunder it) over the double card in the left hand
and secretly drop the 4IlQonto the double card.
Show the cardboard on both sides and place it on the table. Then
pick up the four queens, transfer them one at a time from hand to
hand, then return them to the deck. The double pairs must be
thumbed off into the pocket if you plan to perform further tricks with
the deck.
In a footnote to this trick, Jordan wrote, "The effect is perfection
itself, and is fine to work on the floor in the midst of the company."
78. The Spirit Aces

Four 9's and four aces are dealt into separate heaps on the table. Two
9's and two aces are returned to the pack. Asked to state which cards
remain on the table, the spectator will reply, "Two 9's and two aces."
But when the cards are turned up, they are the four aces. The
spectator himself finds that the four 9's are in the deck. All may be left
with the spectator for examination.
96
A
~
"
Fig. 86
.. i+
+ +.
9
~ t9
6/
Fig. 87
Method: In addition to the pack, two extra aces and a fake card are
required. The fake, shown in Figure 86, consists of a .9 that has
segments from a .9, a.9 and a .9 fastened to it. To cut down the
thickness of the fake, each segment can be peeled or split and only the
facernostlayer used in making up the gimmick.
Remove all the aces and 9's from the pack. Turn the pack face down.
Place the .9 on the deck, then, in this order, the "'9, .9, A, 4A,
A, "'A, duplicate.
A, duplicate "'A, the fake card and the 49 on
top of all. The fake is second from the top of the deck.
To perform, deal the top four cards into a face-down heap on the
table. The deal reverses the order of the four cards so that now the. 9
is at the face of the heap. In the same way, deal the four aces in a
separate heap. Call attention to the fact that only eight cards are used.
Pick up the first heap and pretend to fan it. Actually, you keep the
packet squared and draw only the <I' 9 to the right. Show the faces of
the cards to the audience. Because of the fake, it appears as if you have
four 9's, Figure 87.
Square the cards, turn them face down and deal them one at a time
into a face-down heap. This reverses the cards again, bringing the .9
back to the top of the packet.
Pick up the ace packet, fan it, turn the faces toward the audience so
they can see the four aces, then turn the packet face-down, square it
and deal it into a heap on the table. The "'A and. A are now at the
top of the ace heap.
Take the top card of the 9's heap (<1'9) and place it face down in the
left hand. Place the fake on top of it. Fan the two slightly so that the
other .9 index shows, Figure 88. Let the spectator see the faces of the
two 9's. This is deliberately for the purpose of catching the critical
Prepared-CardTricks
97
Fig. 88
spectator who might remember that the .9 was next to the _9 when
previously shown.
Square the two cards, turn them face down and place them on top of
the deck. Next pick up the top two aces ("'A and. A), show them and
place them on top nfthe pack.
On the table are two groups of two cards each, apparently two 9's
and two aces. Place the two aces on top of the other two cards with the
right hand. At the same time, the left hand moves back toward the
jacket pocket with the deck. Thumb off the top three cards (the fake
and the two duplicate aces) into the left jacket pocket.
Deal off the top four cards of the deck into the hands of the
spectator and have him turn them over. He willbe amazed to discover
that they are the four 9's. Anyone then turns up the cards on the table
and discovers they are the four aces.
If asked to repeat the trick, you would not be able to set up the
gimmick and the duplicate cards again, but there is an impromptu
routine that produces a similar effect. Check "The Bewitched Aces"
(No. 108). The only difference in performance would be that you
would use 9's instead of 7's-otherwise
the handling is identical.
79. The Brain Twister

In this version of a well-known trick you display a deck with a hole
punched through the deck at one end. The spectator chooses any card
and returns it to the center of the deck. A length of string is threaded
through the hole and the ends of the string are tied, Figure 89A.
The chosen card is shown to be face down in the center of the
face-down deck. Then the string is given a tug and the chosen card
suddenly reverses itself while still on the string.
98
Allmay be examined. The choice of c~rds is not forced and t.here are
no duplicate cards. The puzzling angle IS that the chosen card IS shown
facedown in the center ofthe deck right up to the last moment.
Method: You will need a deck of cards with a hole punched or drilled
through it. A packet of 12to 15 cards is easier to prepare and the effect
is similar, so you may want to make up the packet version before
preparing the entire deck.
To present the trick, have any card chosen. With the deck behind
your back, secretly reverse the bottom card in place. Then turn the
entire deck over. Bring the deck into view. It appears as if the deck is
face down. Have the chosen card replaced face down in the center of
the deck.
The deck must be secretlyturned over under the top card. This can
be done by holding the top card from above with the right hand. The
left hand then pivots the deck over under this card, Figure 8gB. Since
this move must be done secretly, you can misdirect attention away
from the deck by tossing out the string and having the spectator
examine itjust before making the move.
The string is threaded through the hole in the deck and the ends
knotted. There is some slack in the string. The reversed card in the
center can be located by riffling to it while you look for it. This card
must be turned over secretly.Jordan does not suggest a method, but
one approach is to place the deck behind your back after locating the
reversed card. With the deck out of sight, turn the chosen card over in
place. Bring the deck into viewand fan it face up to show that all cards
are face up. Give a sharp pull on the string and the chosen card seems
automatically to reverse in the center of the deck while still tied to the
string.
Fig. 898
80. Diabolical Reversed Card

The plo~ o~ t~is tr~ck is classicallysimple. A card mysteriously turns
over while It IS bemg pushed through the deck. Jordan's approach
allowsyou to use any deck but there IS a gimmick. It is a half card, in
99
R~
.":'J.il
Fig. 90
Fig. 91
LeFT' HAND
O,""T"T"E.D
ro'"
CL.AR!9.
Fig. 92
Fig. 93
this case a half. K, as shown in Figure 90. The fake can be concealed
in the left hand at the start. Borrow a deck and place it face up in the
left hand, thus loading the fake under the deck. Fan or spread the
deck, locate the genuine. K and toss it out to the spectator.
While he inspects the. K, turn the face card of the deck face down
so it will appear as if the entire deck is face down. Actually, you have a
face-down card on top of a face-up deck. Place the deck in the left
hand, fingers at one end, thumb at the other. The left forefinger holds
the. K fake in place, Figure 91. Insert the genuine. K into the deck,
with the face of the .K to the audience, as shown in Figure 9 I. Note
the way the fake is oriented.
With the right hand, tap the. K down through the deck. Remember
that from the audience's view the. K is face up in what appears to be a
face-down deck, Figure 92.
The right hand grasps the genuine K when it has emerged from
the lower end of the deck, thumb at the face of the K, fingers in
back. At the same time, the left forefinger pushes the fake down so it
can be grasped by the right fingers, Figure 93. The right hand insures
that the fake is lined up with the. K. The right hand pulls both down
until the fake clears the deck. Then both are pushed back up. The
result is that the fake is now in the deck, behind the K and square
100
FAK.E '"'+
~.
Fig. 94
with it as shown in the end view of Figure 94. At this point about a
third of the genuine.
K protrudes from the bottom of the deck.
The right hand now grasps the deck and apparently turns it end for
end so that the. K protrudes from the top of the deck, but really the
deck is turned over in the process. To do this, grasp the deck with the
right hand as shown in Figure 95A. Turn the right hand so it is back
outward and regrasp it in the left hand as shown in Figure 9SB.
Now the face of the. K is apparently seen by the audience but it is
really the face of the fake. K. Push it through the deck with the right
hand. It reemerges, Figure 95C, as if it has seemingly turned itself over
whilebeing pushed through the deck.
The right hand pulls the. K out of the deck, bending it outward.
The fake remains in the pack. Toss the.
K out for inspection. The
fake can be palmed out at a later time. The rear card of the deck can be
turned around while the audience examines the genuine. K.
\
Jordan credits a Mr. DeForrest of San Francisco for suggestions
adopted in the working of the effect.
Fig.95A
Fig. 958
Fig.95C
:I
Prepared-Card
Tricks
101
81. Joker Monte

Ajoker and two spot cards are freely shown separately back and front,
Figure 96. The three cards are fanned back and front. The audience is
told to watch the joker. The fan is turned face down and the three
cards are placed in a row on the table. Despite the fairness of the
handling, the spectator is unable to pick out the joker.
Method: The joker consists of two cards, joker in front, glued at one
side edge. The card in back is any random card. The three cards are
freely shown front and back, then arranged in a fan with the faces
toward the audience. But the card that appears to be directly behind
the joker in Figure 96 is actually placed between the joker and the card
glued to it as shown in Figure 97.
.~~
TOP VIEw
::r====..
tA \.
JOKER..
(FRC:>t--.t-r)
Fig. 97
Fig. 96
As the three-card fan is turned face down, the leftmost card in

Figure 96, in this case the A, is slid over the other cards to the
position shown in Figure 98 with the aid ofthe left thumb.
The spectator assumes the joker is the bottom or rightmost card in
the fan, but this is not true. The joker is now in the center of the fan.
Slide the rightmost card out from the gimmick and place it face down
on the table. Place the next card in the middle and the. A to its left.
Have the spectator point to the joker. He points to the rightmost card
and, of course, he is wrong.
Fig. 98
102
82. "Joker Monte" Notes

An easily made-up gimmickis shown in Figure 99. A tape hinge holds
thejoker and "'A together. After the tape is applied, fold or hinge the
joker over onto the face of the 4A, then trim the right long edge so
that the joker is slightly narrower than the 4A in backof it. This allows
you to feed a card between the joker and the "'A without fumbling.
To present the trick, show the joker and two red aces singly from
and back. Hold the joker in the left hand, the two red aces in the right
hand. The hinge on the joker is to the left. Place the A behind the
joker, fanned to the right. Then slide the. A between the joker and
the A. You actually feed it between the joker and the "'A,
Figure IOOA.
Grasp the packet at the front with the right hand. The situation is
now as indicated in Figure 96. Turn the packet over, sliding the. A
over with the thumb as you do. Continue from here with the Jordan
routine.
Repeat the trick two or three times. For the finish, feed the. A into
the gimmick as before. Then feed the. A into the gimmick behind the
A. Keep the cards spread. Ask the spectator to keep his eye on the
joker. The situation seems as shown in Figure 96, but now both red
aces are between the joker and the "'A. With the left hand, turn the
packet over end for end. Hold the fanned cards between the hands. As
the right hand squares the cards, the right fingers move between the
A and the "'A, Figure 100B.The right hand takes the joker and the
two red aces to the right. As this is done. the ... A because it is attached
to thejoker, will pivot out face'down in the left hand, Figure looe.
t
,JOKER
of
Fig. 99
Fig. 1008
Fig.100A
Fig.100C
103
Flip the right-hand cards over face down onto the .A and immediately spread them to show three face-down cards. Ask the spectator to
'point to the joker. Whichever card he indicates, show each card back
and front. The joker has vanished and you have three aces. It is a good
idea to have a duplicate joker in the pocket so it can be produced at the
finish.
83. Pedro Monte

The effect is similar to "Joker Monte" but the approach is different. By
means of a clever gimmick you are able to duplicate the traditional
Three-Card Monte effect without sleights. As seen by the audience,
two black 4's and the 45 are shown. They are turned face down and
dealt in a row on the table. The spectator finds it impossible to locate
the .5.
Method: The .4 is prepared as shown in Figure 101. The .5 index
corner is drawn in with black ink on this card. When showing the 44 it
is easy to cover the prepared spot on the .4 as shown in Figure 102.
Besides the two 4's you will also need the legitimate .. 5 with a
matching back pattern.
Show the 4's as described above. Turn them face down and place the
.4 at the top of the packet.Show the. 5 and placeit between the 4.,.
Deal the cards from hand to hand to mix them. Then exchange the 44
with the.
5. Turn the packet so only you can see the faces. Keep the
.5 lined up with. and in back of, the .4. Hold the cards as shown in
Figure 103 and show the faces of the cards to the spectator. Ask him to
remember the whereabouts of the .5. As indicated in Figure 103, it
appears as if the .5 is between the other two cards.
Fig. 101
Fig. 102
Fig. 103
104
Turn the fan face down. As you do, spread the cards so all three are
fanned. Slowly deal them face down onto the table in a row. Ask the
spectator to pick out the .5. Of course he fails. The trick may be
repeated as often as desired.
84. The Demon Color
Change
The term "color change" is used by magicians to denote a trick in

whichthe hand is waved over the deck to cause the face card to change
into another card. Jordan hinged two gimmicked cards together and
used them in conjunction with two other cards to produce a multiple
color change. A simplified gimmick used in conjunction with the
Jordan technique is described here in the context of a double change.
As seen by the audience, the magician cuts the. 3 to the face of the
deck. He waves his hand over the .3 and it changes to the .2. Then
he waves his hand over the .2 and it changes to the. A. At no time
does he transfer cards from the back of the deck to the face and at no
time are any cards palmed.
Method: Make up a double-face card by gluing the. 3 back-to-back
with the. A. Turn the deck face-up and cut the .2 to the face. Then
drop the double-face card onto the .2 with the .3 side up. Give the
deck a straight cut so that the prepared card is in the center.
To present, run through the deck and cut the double-face card to
the face of the deck. Hold the deck in the left hand as shown in
Figure 104. Pull the double-face card away from the deck slightly. and
maintain the break with the left thumb as indicated in Figure 104.
The audience sees the. 3 at the face of the deck. Show the right
hand empty. Then place it in front of the deck as in Figure 105. The
left thumb allows the double-face card to fall to a horizontal position
on the left fingertips. The back of the right hand screens the face of
the deck and also hides the horizontal card from view.
Lower the right hand just enough for the audience to see that the
facecard of the deck has changed to the. 2. Then raise the right hand
agam ~ot~e posrnon .shownIn Figure 105. Now turn the right hand by
revolvmg It at the wnst so that the palm of the right hand is toward the
Fig. 104
Fig.105
Fig. 106
105
Fig. 107
audience, Figure 106. This shows the right hand empty and still
conceals the horizontal card from the audience's view.
Reverse the right hand so it is back to the situation shown in
Figure 105. Then lever the double-face card up onto the face of the
deck so that the. A is outermost, Figure 107.
Bring the right hand away, the lingers slightlycupped as if they held
a palmed card. Keep the eyes on the right hand. The audience will
look where you look. After the change to the. A registers, turn the
right hand, palm toward the audience, to show the hand empty.
85. "Demon Color Change" Notes

The technique discussed in "The Demon Color Change" can be used
in an impromptu setting to produce a color change with a borrowed
deck. Have a red card such as the. 2 on the bottom of the deck and a
black card such as the "-10 in back of it. The cards are not important
just as long as one is blackand the other red. Hold the deck from above
with the left hand and pull the bottom card free with the fingers as
shown in Figure 108.
~
Fig. 108
Fig. 109
Grasp the ends of the deck with the right hand as if to square the
deck. At the same time, revolve the deck to a vertical position with the
left thumb. The .2 remains on the left fingertips. The situation is
shown in Figure 109.The back of the right hand conceals the. 2 from
view. The.
2 is horizontal. The left long edge of the. 2 lies slightly
under the deck.
Call attention to the'" 10 at the face of the deck. Then turn the right
hand at the wrist to the position shown in Figure 106, so the audience
106
can see that the right hand is empty. The right hand then turns to the
position shown in Figure 105 so that the back of the right hand is
toward the audience. But in so doing, the right thumb contacts the
right long edge of the. 2 and lifts or flips it up onto the deck so that it
becomes the face card of the deck.
Lower the right hand to show that the .10 has instantly changed to
the.2. It is a strong visualchange.
86. The Bisected Queen

The trick in which a lady is cut in two is here treated in miniature. A
queen from a borrowed deck is placed inside an envelope. The ends
are trimmed from the envelope so the queen protrudes from each end.
The envelope is shown on both sides to emphasize that the queen
really is inside the envelope.
The envelope is cut in half with a pair of scissors. The cutting is
genuine, yet the queen is removed in one piece. Card and envelope
may be signed by the spectator at the start because there is no switch.
Allapparatus is left with the spectator at the finish.
Method: This is a simplified handling of the original Jordan trick. The
envelope is ordinary but it requires a bit of preparation beforehand. If
possible, use an envelope just large enough to take a playing card. On
the address side cut a slit from the bottom to a point near the top,
Figure 11 O.
\
Fig. 110
Fig. 111
107
When showing the envelope, cover the slit with the thumb as shown
in Figure 110. After showing the envelope on both sides. seal the flap.
Hold the envelope while you trim the ends off with a pair of scissors.
The envelope, now a tube open at the ends, is again shown on both
sides with the thumb hiding the slit.
Slide the queen into the envelope so that the queen protrudes from
the ends of the envelope. Again show the envelope on both sides to
emphasize that the Queen is actually inside the envelope.
The secret lies in the way the envelope is cut with the scissors. Slip
the lower blade of the scissors in the slit, but above the Queen. The
envelope is then cut as shown in Figure Ill. The scissors only cut the
flap side of the envelope, but since the address side was already cut
prior to performance, the end result looks as though the envelope was
fairly cut.
Pocket the scissorsand show the cut envelope freely on both sides. It
appears as if the queen had to be cut in two, but when it is slid out of
the envelope, it is completely restored. Toss the queen to the spectator.
Separate the two halvesof the envelope. taking one half in each hand,
and toss the halves out for inspection.
87. The Monarch-Card-and-Pocket Mystery

The idea behind a gimmick known as the pocket index is that articles
are arranged in the pocket so that any single article can be quickly
located and removed. To take a simple example, if the four aces are
arranged in the pocket as shown in Figure 112,with the two red aces
upright and at right angles to the black aces, it is possible to locate and
remove any ace named by the audience because each ace is at the face
or back of a small group of cards. Thus the. A is at the face of the
upright group. the. A is at the back of the same group. The "'A is at
the face of the lower group. and the .A is at the back of the lower
group.
The configuration is obvious in the case of a small group of cards
such as the aces, but if you wanted to index larger quantities of cards,
the four royal flushes, for example, how could they be arranged in the
pockets for easy retrieval? Jordan hit on a simple solution that is
incorporated in the following trick.
l
,.
Fig. 112
108
As seen by the audience, any borrowed deck is thoroughly shuffled

by a spectator. The perf~rmer re"!oves the royal flush ca.rds (aces,
kings, queens, jacks, tens) In each SUIt and places some cards In each of
his side jacket pockets. A spectato~ names any 0r:teof these 20 ca~ds,
say the" J. The magician immediately reaches Into the appropriate
pocket and produces the.1IJ.
..
The trick is repeated with one or two more cards. Then the magICian
has the spectator name any royal flush. Say the royal ~ush ill: Hearts is
named. The magician instantly plunges both. ha.nds mto his pockets
and produces the royal flush in Hearts. The tnck ISrepeated with each
of the other royal flushes. Then the cards are returned
to the
spectator.
Method: Jordan actually did the trick with 5~ cards and a special
gimmick, but here we willconfine ourselves to Just the 20 royal flush
cards.
From your own deck remove the royal flush in each suit. Then glue
the 1II
j back to back with the Q. A face shows on each side. In the
nomenclature we will use here, this card will be referred to as the
1II
j/Q. Sixteen cards are paired to form eight pairs of double-face
cards as follows:
Left Pocket
4IOAIlO
ofoAl+IO
lIIQ/j
"'Q/tJ
Right Pocket
4IOJIQ
ofoj/+Q
1II10/A
"'IO/tA
The cleverness of this approach is readily apparent because instead

of having to handle 16 cards, your task is merely to index four doubleface cards in each pocket. The four cards in the left jacket pocket are
indexed or aligned as shown in Figure 113. The cards in the right
jacket pocket are aligned the same way. With a little practice you can
remove any named card from the pocket.
The kings are not present in this setup, a further simplification suggested by Jordan and one that is exploited in a subtle way during the
course of the handling.
Borrow a well-shuffled deck and bring all the royal flush cards to the
bottom of the deck. These cards will now be distributed to the pockets
as follows. Place eight of the cards (but no kings) in the left jacket
p,0cket.Place two of the kings into the inside right jacket pocket. Place
eight more cards (but no kings) in the outside right jacket pocket. Finally, place the remaining two kings in the inside leftjacket pocket.
If you do not have two insidejacket pockets, use the trouser pockets.
Remember w~ich. kings go into which pockets. The eight cards that go
Into each outside Jacket pocket go in behind the upright pair of double
face cards as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 113. Each eight-card
packet is closest to the body.
b.......
Jordan suggests that you do some other trick with the balance of the
109
Fig. 113
borrowed deck before proceeding with this trick. A good effect, using
only 21 cards, is the "Double Prediction" (No.8).
To present "The Monarch-Card-and-Pocket Mystery," have any
royal flush card named. If, say. the .A is named, reach into the left
pocket and grasp the 4A1.1O. Remove it with the 4A side showing,
then return it to the same pocket. If any king is named, remove it from
the appropriate insidejacket pocket.
Repeat this with twoor three cards. Then ask that any royal flush be
named. Say the spectator names the royal flush in Diamonds. Begin by
removing the K from the inside jacket pocket. Hold it in the left
hand, but make sure you flash the back of the card so the audience can
see that the K is from the spectator's deck. Reach into the right side
jacket pocket and remove the two double-face cards with the. Q and
A showing. Transfer all cards to the right hand. The left hand then
goes into the left side pocket and removes the double-face cards with
the 10 and J showing.
Place the K between the A and Q. Then show the cards in a
fanned condition to the audience so they can see that you have instantly
produced a royal flush in Diamonds. Then return the. K to the inside
left jacket pocket, regardless of which pocket it came from.
From this point on, you do not have individual royal flushes named.
Instead, as Jordan suggests, return the Diamond double-face cards to
their respective pockets, turn them over and immediately bring them
out. Now they show four of the cards in the Club royal flush. Remove
the "'K from the inside pocket and place it between the "'A and "'Q.
Then show the faces of the cards to the audience to register the fact
that you have instantly produced a royal flush in Clubs.
The "'K is returned to the inside left jacket pocket. The double-face
cards go back to their original pockets. Note that if the kings are always
returned to the inside left jacket pocket, then the inside right jacket
pocket will be empty after the four royal flushes have been produced.
This is important because it allows you to get rid of the gimmicked
cards in an easy way.
At the finish, you are going to gather the cards from the various
pockets, assemble the deck and return it to the spectator. It is done in
this fashion. Remove the double-face cards as a packet from the righthand pocket and transfer them to the left hand. Both hands now go
into the pockets. The left hand leaves its cards in the left side pocket in
front of the double-faced cards already in that pocket. The ordinary
110
cards are removed from the right-hand pocket and placed in the left
hand.
Now the right hand goes into the inside left pocket as if to look f~r
more cards. The left hand goes into the left pocket and place.s the ordinary cards it holds in back of the ordinary cards already In the left
pocket. The result of this action is to transfer all of the cards (except the
kings)to the left side jacket pocket.
Remove the cards from the left side pocket and place them into the
right inside jacket pocket. It should appear as if you are idly going from
pocket to pocket to gather all the cards. Lea~e the gimmi:ked cards
behind and immediately remove all of the ordinary cards with the left
hand. The right hand removes all of the kings from the inside left
jacket pocket. Return all of the ordinary cards to the borrowed deck
and give the deck back to the spectator.
If someone later asks to examine the side pockets, these pockets are
discovered to be empty. A better plan is to do a trick in which a card is
placed in the pocket and later retrieved by the spectator. Ideal in this
regard is the impromptu version of "Etad-ot-Pu" (No. 167) in which a
card placed in the pocket before the trick begins turns out to be the
card later chosen by the spectator. At the finish, let the spectator remove the card from your pocket. This conclusively demonstrates that
the pocket is empty and adds that much more to the effectiveness of
"The Monarch-Card-and-Pocket Mystery."
88. The Contrary Clock

In this routine Jordan returns to the premise of "The Climax" (No.
75),in which a chosen card vanishes without gimmicks or sleights, and
without the magician touching the card. In the present version the
magician draws a clock face on a large square of cardboard and places
cards around the perimeter of the clock to represent each of the twelve
hours. The spectator thinks of any hour and notes the card at that
position.
. The magician places a joker in his coat pocket. On command,
Joker changes places with the chosen card .
the
.t:Jethod: Requ.ired are six cards, duplicates of these cards and six
Jokers. For this example, we will assume that the six cards are the ace
through 6 in mixed suits. Place one set, in order, in the jacket pocket.
The other se~ and the .six jokers. are set up on top of the deck as
follows: ... A-Joker-.4joker-4116-Joker_.
2joker-405-joker-43joker.
An extra joker lies at the face of the deck.
On a large square of cardboard you appear to write the numbers 3,
6,9,12: Actually you write 6 where 3 should be, 6 in its proper place, 9
where I~belongs and 3 where the 12 belongs. The writing is done so
the audience cannot see exactly what you are writing. The end result
lookslike Figure 114.
Pr~.Pared~Card Tricks
111
Fig.114
.----'(c.; ....
(,l,.\) . tV.
L.....L-_~---F-ig-.
B'!I"O
~
-,,-S-----.J
.~
3~
'"4J ~ t>~
Fig."6
Someone names odd or even, and the spectator thinks of an odd or

an even number. If odd, you deal the top card where the 1 should be,
the next card where the 2 should be, then 3, and so on around the dial
clockwise, until 12 cards have been dealt. The spot cards will be on the
odd numbers, the jokers on the even numbers.
If the chosen number is to be even, begin dealing at 12, then I, 2, 3
and so on in a clockwisedirection. The spot cards are now at the even
positions around the c1ockface. The jokers are at the odd positions.
Carry the cardboard square to the spectator, holding it in both
hands, the right thumb covering the 3 that is where the 12 should be.
The left thumb hides the 6 at the 3'5 position. The situation looks as
shown in Figure 115.
Turn your head aside. Have the spectator look at the card at the
appropriate position. Thus, if odd were called out, he would look at a
card in any odd position. If even were called out, he would look at a
card in any even position. Because of the way the cards were dealt, he
must end up with a spot card. He notes the card and replaces it. You
then take the cardboard back to the table, giving it a quarter turn to the
right as you place it down.
Take the joker from the face of the deck and openly place it in the
jacket pocket. Then pick up the cardboard with the right hand only,
the thumb covering the 9 that is where the 12 should be, Figure 116.
The 3 is now in its proper place, as is the 6. The former 6 has become a
112
9. Although all appears as before, the cards that appeared to be at odd

positions at the beginning of the trick are now at even pOSItIOns, and
vice-versa.
The spectator turns up the card he thin~s is his. T~is tells y.ou the
identity of the chosen card. The spectator will be surpnsed to discover
the joker in its place. He can check the card on either side of the joker
because each will be an ordinary spot card.
Since you know the chosen card, remove its duplicate from the
pocket.
89. "Contrary Clock" Notes

The ingenious premise behind "The Contrary Clock" can be applied to
many variations. To take one simple example, hand blank slips of
paper to two spectators. Have them agree on a time, either 3 o'clock, 6
o'clock, 9 o'clock or 12 o'clock. Bothjot down this same time on their
respective slips of paper. They do this secretly, without your knowledge. While they decide on a time, you sketch in the clock face shown
in Figure 117.
Show the clock face as in Figure 118, and have the first spectator note
the ace at the time he has in mind. If the time was 12 o'clock, he would
note the 4A and jot it down on the paper. You have your head turned
aside so you do not see what he writes.
As you go to the other spectator, give the clock [ace a quarter turn to
the right. Then hold it as shown in Figure 119. The second spectator
notes the card at the same setting, in our example 12 o'clock, and jots
this down on his slip of paper. He thinks he has the same card as the
first spectator, but his card is different.
G'O"'V+'
6
Fig. 117
Fig. 118
113
.....
0
+3
,>
G"'c('
...
If.
&
Fig. 119
Fig. 120
Remark that time, like space, can be zoned, and since the spectators
are sitting in different parts of the room, their local time may vary.
They state aloud the names of their chosen cards. They both looked at
the same time, but they chose different cards.
While attention is on the spectators, drop the clock face into your
pocket and remove the one shown in Figure 120.If the spectators ask
to see the clock face, they will be surprised that the setting they looked
at contains a completely different card from the one either of them
chose.
Shuffle Systems
This chapter is devoted to .Jordan's work with riffle shuffle systems.
The chapter opens with the observation that a shuffle does not ~eall'y
mix the cards. Effects and methods are then developed to exploit this
principle. Although the basic premi.se was publish~d earlier in the century by C. O. Williams, Jordan's writings are considered the outstanding treatment of the subject.
90. A Shuffle Secret

The basic secret discovered by Jordan can be illustrated with a simple
example. Arrange the. A through. 8 in numerical order, A at the
top and .8 at the bottom. Arrange the A through .8 in the same
order. Place one packet on top of the other. Now give the combined
packet a cut and complete the cut. Give the packet several more
straight cuts. No matter how often the packet is cut, the cards still
remain in the same order. Thus, although you do not know which card
is on top after the cuts, once you turn it up and see what it is, you know
the order of every other card in the packet.
If the top card is the .7, for example, you know that the next card
will be the" 8, the next the. A, and so on. To say it another way:
Cutting does not disturb the order of the cards.
Jordan discovered that shuffling does not disturb the order either.
To verify this, begin again with the Hearts in order from ace to 8 in
one packet and the Spades in order from ace to 8 in the other packet.
Instead of cutting the cards, you are going to shuffle them. Hold the
packets in preparation for a dovetail shuffle, Figure 121. The Hearts
are in numerical order in one packet and the Spades are in the same
order in the other packet.
You are going to give the cards a perfect shuffle. Release a card
from the bottom of one packet, then a card from the bottom of the
other packet, then a card from the bottom of the first packet, then a
card from the bottom of the second packet, so that the cards fall on top
of one another. Continue alternating cards in this way until all cards
have been perfectly interwoven. The result will look as shown in
Figure 122.
Shuffle Systems
115
Fig. 121
Fig. 122
Square up the cards, making sure they remain perfectly interlaced.
Give the packet a cut and complete the cut. Turn up the top card of the
packet. It may be the .4. The next card may be the .4. You know
what the next card is without looking at it because this card must be the
.5. You know the card after this is the .5. In fact, after you examine
the top two cards of the packet, you know the order of the entire
packet. In other words, a perfect shuffle followed by a complete cut
does not disturb the relative order of the cards. The Hearts are stillin
their original order and the Spades are still in their original order.
Jordan's discovery was that if the shuffle was not perfect, this result
would still hold true. Arrange the Hearts in order and the Spades in
order. Shuffle the two packets together using either the dovetail or
riffle shuffle of Figure 121. Do not try to make it a perfect shuffle. In
fact it can be as uneven as you like. After the shuffle give the cards a
straight cut.
It would seem that the cards are hopelessly mixed, but if you turn
the packet face up and examine the cards, you will see that the Hearts
are still in numerical order with regard to one another and the Spades
are still in numerical order. It is this principle which is developed in the
following tricks.
91. Close-Range Mind Reading

A deck of cards is given a genuine dovetail shuffle. Then the spectator
reduces the deck in size by removing and discarding the 2's, 3's, 4'5, 5's
and B's. With the deck in his own hands, the spectator cuts the deck,
then deals it into two heaps.
116
While the performer's back is turned, the spectator chooses any card
from one heap, looks at it and places it in the second heap. He s?uffles
this packet and hands it to the performer. The performer easily and
infallibly names the chosen card.
Method: The shuffle principle is used here in its simplest form. First
discard the 2's through 6's for the moment. With the remaining cards,
place the even (S-IO-Q) Spades and Hearts, plus the odd (7-9-]-K-A)
Clubs and Diamonds in one packet. Place the odd Spades and Hearts,
plus the even Clubs and Diamonds, in another packet.
Place these two packets alongside one another. Then take a card
from the top of one packet and place it in the left hand. Take a card
from the top of the other packet and place it on top of the card in the
left hand. Take a card from the first packet and place it on top of the
cards in the left hand. Take a card from the second packet and place it
on top of the left-hand cards. Continue in this way until all 32 cards are
in the left hand. Then place the 2's through B'son top of all.
To present the trick, split the deck so the 2's through B's are in one
packet and the balance of the deck in the other. Then openly shuffle
the two packets together. Hand the deck to the spectator. Remark that
the experiment would be too difficult to perform with the full deck, so
you would like him to remove and discard the 2's through S's as he
comes to them.
'
After he does this, he deals the balance of the deck into two heaps.
Since this portion of the deck is your setup, and since it was not
disturbed by the shuffle and the subsequent removal of the 2's through
fi's, when the spectator deals it into two heaps, all of the even Spades
and Hearts plus the odd Clubs and Diamonds willbe in one heap. The
spectator chooses a card from this heap and places it in the other heap.
He shuffles this heap and hands it to you. A glance through the packet
IS all that IS required to spot the card that does not belong. Reveal it in a
dramatic manner.
92. Long-Distance Mind Reading

The premise is a novel one, the idea being to do a card trick by mail. A
letter IS sent to a friend. The wording suggested by Jordan
is as
follows:
Dear Sir:
Knowing .that yo~ are fond of card tricks, and regretting that I
cannot be with you In person to demonstrate this one, I am forced
to ~dopt the novel expedient of performing it at long range-by
mail: Under sepa~ate cover I am mailing you an ordinary pack of
playing ~ar~s, which I have shuffled well before wrapping. When
you.receive It, please followthese directions carefully.
FIrst, remove the pack from its case. Without disturbing the or-
Shuffle Systems
117
del' of the cards, examine them carefully,and note they are not
arranged in anyparticular order. Pleasesee,too, that they are not
marked or otherwiseprepared.
Now cut the packas often as you care to, turning the pack facedown on the table.Finally,cut it into twoabout-evenpackets, and
riffle shuffle thesetwotogether in the familiardovetail fashion.
When you havedone that once, cut the packas many times as
you please, finallyleaving it cut into twonearly-even heaps. Remove a card fromabout the center of either heap, make a written
note of its identity,and insert it anywhere in the other half of the
pack. Now take either half of the deck you prefer-the one you
selected the card from, or the one to whichyou transferred itand shuffle it thoroughly.
Mail it to me, without intimating whether or not it is the one
which now containsyour card. By return mail,I shall endeavor to
surprise you.
.
Yours,
Of course by return mail the chosen card iscorrectly named.
Method: Although the trick is done with a full deck, the method willbe
clearer if it is explained withjust afew cards. Arrange the. A through
.8 in order in one packet, and the .A through .8 in order in
another packet. Dovetailshuffle the two packets together, then cut off
about half of the cards. Remove a card from the center of this half,
look at it and replace it in the center of the other half.
The half containing your card might have this run of cards:
.4-.5-.5-.6-.6-.2-.7-.8-.7-.8.
Clearly, the one card that
does not belong, because it is not part of either sequence of Hearts or
Spades, is the. 2, This is the chosen card.
If the packet not containing the chosen card were examined instead,
it would contain the .A-.A-.2-.3-.3-.4.
One card is missing
from the Spade sequence: the .2. This must be the chosen card.
In almost all cases the result will be as simple as described, but on
rare occasions an ambiguous result occurs. This can happen when the
chosen card is from the end of a sequence. In the above example, ifthe
spectator chose the. 3 instead of the. 2, and inserted it into the other
packet. it would appear as part of the Spade sequence in that packet.
In such a case, where no one card stands out, you know the spectator's
card must be the highest or the lowest card in one of the suit
sequences, but that is all you know. This result can be expected to
occur often if a small number of Girds is used, but it will occur only
rarely with the full deck.
As described above, the setup is too obvious.Jordan disguised the
principle by starting with a well-shuffled deck and using that as the
starting setup. Before mailing the deck,jotdown the order of the cards
from top to bottom. One way to do this is to draw a large circle on a
sheet of paper and jot down the cards around the circumference of the
118
circle. The advantage to this system of notation is that it ac~ounts for

the fact that the spectator is going to cut the deck several tunes. The
order of the cards is undisturbed by the cuts.
.
.
When half the deck is mailed back to you, check off the cards In this
packet against your list. One of two results will be obtained. In the first
case you will check off two long unbro~en ~equencesof cards .and yo~
willhave one card that does not belong In either sequence. This card IS
the chosen card.
In the other result, you will check off two long sequences of cards
but one will be broken. That is, one card will be missing from a
sequence. This missing card is the chosen card.
The instruction to the spectator should be mailed a few days before
you mail the deck of cards. This avoids the problem of having the
spectator get the deck, not knowing what it is to be used for and
carelessly shuffling or otherwise mixing the cards.
93. The Premo

While the magician turns his back or leaves the room, the spectator
cuts the deck, gives it a shuffle, cuts it again and then gives it another
shuffle. He removes the top quarter of the deck, takes the top card of
the larger packet and replaces the top quarter back on top. The card
removed from the deck is looked at and replaced on top or bottom.
The deck is cut and then given another shuffle.
Given the many shuffles and cuts made while the magician is out of
the room, it would appear impossible to locate the chosen card, yet
when he returns, the magician deals the deck face up onto the table
and names the chosen card.
Method: The trick depends on the fact that in spite of the shuffles
and
cuts, the original sequence of 52 cards is not broken until you reach the
chosen card. By virtue of the way this card is chosen and replaced, it
willbe out of sequence.
Arrange each suit in numerical order from ace to king, ace at the top
and king at the bottom. Place the Spade packet face up on the table.
Placethe Heart packet face up on top of the Spades. the Clubs face up
on the Hearts, and the Diamonds face up on the Clubs. Put the deck in
its case until ready to perform.
. At th~ time of pe:formance, remove the deck from its case and give
It a straight cut. While you turn your back, the spectator gives the deck
anoth~r cut. Then he givesthe deck a dovetail shuffle. Then he gives it
a straight cut followed by another dovetail shuffle. He lifts off a
quarter of the deck, takes the top card of the lower portion and
~eplacesthe upper quarter. He looks at the card he cut to and replaces
It on top of the deck. The deck is given a straight cut and a final
dovetail shuffle.
Shuffle
L!] ~ ~ [!] ~ ~
Systems
119
L!J r!J[!]L!] 0~
~~L!J~~~~~r!Jr!][]0[]
[9[gL!J!!J~~lTI~~~~~0
~0B~r!J~I!J~l!ll!J~~L!J
Fig. 123
Take back the deck and deal it ooto the table in four rows of 13cards
each, dealing from left to right a card at a time. A sample layout is
shown in Figure 123.You will trace the original setup as follows.
In the example of Figure 123, the first card is the. 5. Skim along
the upper row of cards until you come to the. 6. There is no .6 in
the upper row, so you begin at the left end ofthe second row until you
come to the. 6. Continue moving from left to right until you come to
the. 7, then the + 8 and so on through the + K. The next card in the
setup after the + K is the lilA, the next card after that the 1II2,and so
on. It may be necessary for you to run your eyes over the cards several
times until you come to the next card in the stack, but with practice it
can be done quickly.
In the example, the first trip through the deck yields the +5-+6+ 7-.8- 9- + 10. The second run through the deck yields the + J+Q_. K-lIIA-1II2-1II3.The third run through the deck yields the 1II4
through .8. The fourth run through the deck yields the .9 through
.6.
It is on the next pass through the deck that a discrepancy is
discovered. You will first come to the .7, then the .8, and then the
.10. You do not knowyet ifthe chosen card isthe .9 orthe .10, but
if you check the next card in the sequence, you will know what the
chosen card was. In the example the next card is the J. Now you
know that the .9 was taken by the spectator and placed somewhere
else in the deck.
At first it will take time to run through the deck to search out the
break in the setup, but with practice the location can be accomplished
rapidly.
94. The Dealing Dovetail Detection

This is a shuffle trick that does not depend on a prior full-deck stack. It
can be performed impromptu with any deck. The performer borrows
a deck and checks that it contains 52 cards. The spectator then deals
120
Charles Jordan's
Best Card Tricks
the deck into two face-down heaps and shuffles the two heaps
together.
The performer gives the deck a genuine overhand shuffle .. The
spectator then takes a card, repl~ces it in the. deck and immediately
deals the deck into two heaps. Agam he dovetail shuffles the two heaps
together. The performer gives the deck an overhand shuff1~. Dc:spite
the repeated shuffles, the magician deals the cards one at a ume Into a
face-up heap and infallibly stops dealing when the chosen card shows
up.
Method: The routine combines a dovetail shuffle technique with a
subtle idea on a controlled overhand shuffle. When you get the deck
from the spectator, turn it face up and run the cards from hand to
hand, supposedly to see that the deck contains the full 52 cards.
Actually, as the cards are passed from the left hand to the right hand,
every odd Spade and Heart, plus every even Club and Diamond, are
passed behind the cards taken into the right hand. If the counting is
done casually, it is difficult for the spectator to see exactly where the
cards go as they are passed from hand to hand. The result of the above
sorting procedure is that the top half consists of odd Spades and
Hearts plus even Clubs and Diamonds, while the lower half consists of
even Spades and Hearts plus odd Clubs and Diamonds.
The spectator deals the deck into two heaps, then dovetail shuffles
them together. If the shuffle is reasonably even, the above setup will be
intact. A few cards at the center of the deck may consist of a mixture of
cards from the two halves of the deck, but basically the two halves of
the stack remain separate from one another.
The overhand shuffle maintains the stack in a clever way. Hold the
deck in the left hand in preparation for the overhand shuffle. The
right hand takes the bottom four-fifths of the deck, Figure 124. A few
cards from the top of this packet are taken onto the top of the
left-hand packet in the usual manner of the overhand shuffle, the
cards being drawn off with the left thumb. As you near the center of
t~e deck, the lc:ft thumb runs cards singly and continues running
single cards until you are well past the center. Then draw cards off in
smallpackets to the end of the deck. Although the shuffle is genuine, it
keeps the ~op half separate ~rom the bottom half. Of equal importance,
the few mixed cards that might be in the center of the deck remain in
the center.
Fig. 124
Shuffle Systems
121
The deck is placed behind the back. Fan only the bottom third and
have a card chosen from this third and removed. While the spectator
looks at the card, square the deck and then spread only the top third.
Have the card replaced in the top third. Thus the card is replaced in
the opposite setup. This accounts for the ease in locating it later on.
Square up the pack and hand it to the spectator. He deals the deck
into two heaps, then dovetail shuffles the heaps together. Take the
deck from him and give it the same overhand shuffle described above.
Deal cards off the top into a face-up heap. Watch for an even Spade or
Heart, or an odd Club or Diamond. The first such card to show up is
the chosen card.
95. "Dealing Dovetail Detection" Notes

The overhand shuffle described in the above routine can be used in
tricks where the deck is stacked beforehand. If, for example, the red
cards are in the top half of the deck and the black cards are in the
bottom half, give the deck an overhand shume of the type described
above. After the shuffle the colors will still be separated.
This stack can be used in the "Dealing Dovetail Detection." Simply
pass the red cards to the back of the deck as you count the cards from
hand to hand at the start of the trick. Perform the trick exactly as
written, but at the finish do not deal the cards into a face-up heap.
Instead, fan the deck with the faces toward you. An odd-color card will
show up in the top third of the deck. This is the chosen card. Remove it
and place it before the spectator. Give the deck one more dovetail
shuffle to destroy the evidence of a stack.
96. The Rolling-Off-a-Log Detection

The deck is given both a dovetail shuflle and an overhand shu me. The
spectator then chooses a card and places it in his pocket. The magician
deals cards off the top one at a time, but stops when he gets to the
midpoint of the deck. He says, "I'm looking for your card and havejust
realized that it isn't in the deck. It's in your pocket."
Taking a card from the deck he rolls it into a tube and squints
through it, telescope fashion, at the back of his hand. "I can see the
reflection of your card this way," he says. "The four of Diamonds,
right?" The spectator removes his card from his pocket and it is the
.4.
Method: When you take the shuflled deck from the spectator at the
beginning of the trick, pass the cards from hand to hand. As you do,
run the 13 Diamonds plus the "'A to the backand all the other cards to
the face of those in the right hand.
122
Deal the deck into two heaps. The top 14 cards become the bottom
seven cards of each half of the deck. When you dovetail shuffle the two
packets together, make sure that the bottom seven cards of the two
heaps are evenly shuffled together. The remainder of the heaps may
be randomly shuffled together.
Square up the deck and give it an overhand shuffle as follows. The
shuffle is begun as shown in Figure] 24, but as you near the ~ottom 14
cards, run the cards singly to the end of the deck. The result IS that the
top 14 cards of the deck now consist of the 13 Diamonds plus the" A.
Fan the top 14 cards for a selection. Alternatively, you can have the
spectator name a number between ] and 15. He counts to that card,
removes it and puts it in his pocket. The dealt cards are then replaced
on top of the deck.
After the spectator pockets his card, he gives the deck a dovetail
shuffle. The original top stack is now distributed in the top half of the
deck.
Take the deck from him and deal the cards one at a time into a
face-up heap. Silently keep track of the Diamonds and add them
together using the card-counting system in "The Magi's Detection"
(No. 43), that is, when the count exceeds 13, deduct 13, then continue
adding until you have added together all of the Diamonds. Of course
you must keep track of the 4A as well.
When you have gotten past the midpoint of the deck and no more
Diamonds show up, you know you have added together the values of
all the Diamonds in the deck. Whatever the result, subtract it from 13.
This number is the value of the Diamond in the spectator's pocket. If
the total arrived at is 0 or 13, the spectator chose the. K. If the ,.A
does not show up on the deal, you know he chose that card. Go on
from here with the revelation as described above.
97. "Rolling-Off-a-Log Detection" Notes

Ther~ is a way of determining the chosen card without using card
counting. Before the start of the trick arrange the. A through .9 at
the back of the pack in order.
Deal the top 26 cards into one heap. Place the balance of the deck to
the right of it and dovetail or riffle shuffle the two heaps together.
Make sure that at least nine cards fall from the bottom of the left hand
heap fi~st, then riffle the remainder of this heap into the right-hand
heap, Figure 125. These rune cards are. of course, the Diamond stack.
9 C"'RoS.
Fig. 125
Shuffle
Systems
123
After the shuffle, give the deck an overhand shuffle. When you get
near the bottom of the deck, run at least the last nine cards singly. The
result is that the stack is back on top of the deck. Have the spectator
think of a number between 1 and 10. Deal the top ten cards into a heap
on the table, thus reversing their order. The Diamonds are now in the
original order. Ask for the chosen number. Have the spectator deal
down to it in the packet. Since you know the stack, you automatically
know the card he chose.
When he pockets the chosen card, shuffle the balance of the
Diamond stack into the deck. All evidence of a setup is now destroyed.
Go on to reveal the chosen card.
98. The Full Hand

Each of four spectators removes four random cards from the deck,
Each person jots down his cards on a slip of paper. Then the cards are
gathered on the performer's outstretched palm. The performer
openly shuffles the cards several times. The packet of 16 cards is
placed in a hat. One of the spectators names anyone of his cards. The
performer removes a card from the hat and places it face down before
that spectator. The spectator names another one of his original four
cards and the performer removes a second card from the hat. The
process is repeated with each of the remaining cards originally held by
that spectator. Then the process is carried out with the remaining
three spectators,
At the finish, when each party turns up the four cards in front of
him, each person has his original four cards back. At no time does the
magician look into the hat. The cards are ordinary and there is no
force.
Method: The trick uses a perfect dovetail shuffle. An easier method
will be given later. After each person takes four cards. jots them down
and places them on your outstretched hand, grasp the packet from
above with the right hand. The right thumb releases the bottom eight
cards, Figure 126. These eight cards are taken in the left hand.
BCARDS
Fig. 126
124
The packets are now dovetail shuffled together in the following

manner. The left thumb releases the bottom card of its packet. Then
the right thumb releases the bottom card of its packet. The left thumb
releases the bottom card of its packet and the right thumb releases the
bottom card of its packet. The process continues with the remaining
cards. The result is that the packets have been perfectly interwoven.
Square them up and take the packet into the right hand.
The perfect shuffle is now repeated exactly as described above. The
right thumb releases the bottom eight cards, which are taken into the
left hand. The packets are interwoven as described above. The perfect
shuffle is then repeated a third time and a fourth time. The unexpected result is that, although the cards appear to be hopelessly mixed,
they are back in their original order.
After the fourth shuffle, place the 16-card packet into a borrowed
hat. Ask the first spectator to name one of his cards. Pretend to
concentrate, then remove the bottom card of the packet and place it
face down before the first spectator. Since the l6-card packet is back in
its original order, the bottom four cards must belong to the first
spectator. All you do is remove the bottom four cards one at a time and
place them face down in front of the first spectator.
Remove the next four cards one at a time and place them before the
second spectator. Do the same thing with the third spectator. Pick up
the remaining four cards in the hat and place them before the fourth
spectator. Each spectator turns over his cards and discovers that he has
back the four cards he started with.
99. "Full Hand" Notes

When a packet of 16 cards is given a perfect shuffle of the type
described above, and if this same shuffle is repeated, the packet will be
restored to its original order in four shuffles. But it is also true that if
the packet is given four reverse shuffles, it will be restored to its
original order. Since the reverse shuffle is easier, it suggests the
following handling of "The Full Hand."
Hand a borrowed deck to the first spectator and ask him to remove
any four of a kind. He then passes the deck to a second spectator who
removes any four of a kind. A third and a fourth spectator each
remove any four of a kind. The deck is then placed aside.
Have the first spectator place his four cards on your outstretched
left palm. The second spectator's cards are placed on top of those the
third spectator's cards on top of those and the fourth spectator's car-ds
on top of all.
Push the top card into the right hand. Jog the next card up as it is
pushed over to theright. Push over the third card, then jog the fourth
ca~dup. T?e situation ~t ~hlspomt IS shown in Figure 127. Continue in
this way WIth the remammg cards. At the finish, strip out the upper
- Shuffle Systems
125
Fig. 127
block of eight cards as a unit and place this packet under the remaining
cards.
Repeat this shuffle three more times. At the conclusion of the final
shuffle, the cards willbe back in their original order. Place the packet
behind the back. Ask the first spectator to name one of his cards.
Regardless of which card he names, remove the bottom card of the
packet and place it before him. Repeat with the next three cards. Then
perform the same procedure with each of the other three spectators,
each time removing cards from the bottom ofthe packet. At the finish
show that each spectator got back his original four cards.
100. The Wonder Force

Remarking that he is peculiarly sensitive to anything red, the magician
hands the spectator a folded slip of paper. He then gives the deck a
shuffle, hands it to the spectator and tells him to give the deck an
additional shuffle. Both shuffles are honest.
The spectator then deals cards off the top of the deck until he comes
to the first red card. Whatever this card, it has been correctly predicted
by the magician. The fact that the deck is given two thorough shuffles
makes it seem impossible that the outcome is controlled, but in fact the
trick is infallible.
Method: The deck is stacked according to color. Assume you wish to
force the Q. Place six reds face down on the table. On them place 12
blacks, then six more reds, then the Q (the force card). Finally place
a black card on top of the force card.
Arrange the balance of the deck in a face-down heap as follows.
Place a black card on the table. Place seven reds on it, then 12 blacks,
then the remaining reds. Jordan suggests that you bridge or bend each
half of the deck in opposite directions and place one packet on top of
the other.
When doing the trick, cut the deck at the bridge. Another approach
is to write a prediction on a slip of paper, fold the slip and place it on
top of the heap containing the force card. Then place the other heap
on top and case the deck. When ready to present the trick, remove the
deck from the case, cut at the point where the slip of paper is and give
the paper to the spectator.
_________
........;U4
126
Dovetail shuffle the two halves together. Make sure the riffle is as
even as possible. Take care that the top two cards of the lower half (a
black card plus the .Q) fall last, so they are on top of the pack when
the cards have been squared. Because of the nature of the stack, the
center 18 to 24 cards are all black. The strong point of the trick is that
you now hand the deck to the spectator and ask him to give the pack
another shuffle. He cuts at the approximate midpoint and dovetail
shuffles the two halves of the pack together.
After the deck is squared, he deals cards off the top into a face-up
heap, stopping when he deals the first red card. Because of the ~et~p,
the first red card must be the Q. The spectator opens the prediction
and reads, "You will choose the queen of Hearts."
Two or more cards can be forced with the same approach. The other
red force cards must lie directly under the Q. When the spectator
shuffles the deck, he willintersperse cards among the force cards, but
since these other cards are black, the shuffle does not affect the
outcome. The spectator deals off the top and places aside the first two
or three red cards he comes to. These must be the force cards.
101. Improved Chevalier Card Trick

The deck is given a fair shuffle. The spectator callsout any suit and the
13cards of that suit are removed from the deck. The magician takes
the 13-card packet, spells A-C-E and transfers a card for each letter
from the top to the bottom of the deck. He turns up the next card and
it is the Ace. The spelling continues for each value and each time the
card of the proper value turns up. The genuine shuffle is what makes
the trick puzzling.
Method: Arrange each suit from top to bottom in this order: 9-5-3-A.87-Q-6-4-2-j-K-1O. Then dovetail shuffle the Spades into the Hearts,
and the Clubs into the Diamonds. Place one half of the deck on top of
the other.
When ready to present the trick, cut the deck at the midpoint and
dO,vetailshuffle the two halves together. Have the spectator name any
SUit. S~yhe names Clubs. Beginning at the face of the deck, remove the
Clubs In order and J:llacethem one at a time into a face-down heap on
the table. At the finish the top card of the Club heap will be the "'9.
The bottom card of the heap will be the "'10.
Hold the packet face down in the left hand. Spell A-C-E, transferring
a ~ard for each letter from top to bottom. Turn over the next card. It
willbe the "'A. Then spell D-E-D-C-E, transferring a card for each
letter. The next card wil! be the "'2. Continue with T-H-R-E-E
F~O-U-Rand so on, right through to the king, and the correct card;
Willturn up In order.
Shuffle Systems
127
102. Thought Foretold

This is a near-perfect prediction effect. The spectator names either
red or black. Assume he names red. The magician then writes the
name of a red card on a slip of paper, folds it and places it under the
card case. The spectator shuffles the deck, cuts it and removes a
random card. This card is placed, sight unseen, inside the card case.
The deck is separated into two heaps, reds in one and blacks in the
other. Since the spectator named a red card, he gets the red heap. The
black heap is placed in the card case. The spectator counts the red
cards. There are only 25. One is missing. The prediction is opened. It
reads, "You will choose the five of Hearts." The spectator looks
through the red heap. The .5 is missing. He then removes the cards
from the card case. The complete black packet of 26 cards is inside the
case plus the missing. 5.
Method: Beforehand remove the.
5 and "'5 from the deck. Place
them inside the card case. Separate the colors of the remaining 50
cards and stack them from the top down as follows: 12 reds, 13 blacks,
13 reds, 12 blacks. Case the deck and you are ready.
Have the spectator name either red or black. If he names red, write,
"You will choose the five of Hearts." If he names black, predict that he
will choose the "'5. Fold the slip and place it on the table.
Remove the deck from the case, but leave the. 5 and .5 behind so
they remain inside the card case. Place the supposedly empty case on
top of the prediction to isolate the prediction and prevent anyone from
tampering with it.
Split the deck at its midpoint and place the two halves on the table.
Have the spectator dovetail shuffle the two halves together and square
the deck. If he does not know how to shuffle cards in this fashion,
simply perform the shuffle yourself. At the completion of the shuffle
have the spectator cut the deck into three heaps.
Because of the waythe deck was stacked originally, the top third will
contain all reds, the bottom third all blacks, and the middle third a
mixture of reds and blacks. Since the spectator originally called out the
color red, have him pick up the bottom third of the deck, shuffle it and
remove a card. This card is placed sight unseen inside the card case.
The packets are assembled and the deck shuffled to destroy the
evidence. Have the spectator separate the deck into reds and blacks.
Since he originally called out the color red, have him count the number
of cards in the red packet. As he does, place the black packet inside the
card case.
The spectator counts 25 cards. One red card is missing. He opens
the prediction and reads, "You will choose the five of Hearts." Then he
looks through the red packet and finds that the. 5 is missing. Finally
he removes the cards from the card case. He will find 26 blacks plus
one red card. The red card is the. 5.
128
If the spectator names black at the start of the trick, when the d~ck
has been divided into thirds have him choose a card from the top third
of the deck. The handling is otherwise the same.
103. Premier Card Discovery

This is a card location done under seemingly impossible conditions.
The spectator gives the deck a dovetail shuffle. Then he cuts the deck
and completes the cut. From the top half of the deck he cho~ses a car~,
looksat it and replaces it in the bottom half of the deck. This packet IS
dealt face up on the table a card at a time. When the chosen card is
reached, the performer calls out stop. Despite the fact that the deck
has been shuffled and cut by the spectator, the performer is always
able to call stop at the correct card.
Method: The pack is arranged so there are
top, then any 12 even-valued cards, then
finally, 12 even-valued cards. The order of
the deck is spread face up, the spectator
setup.
any 14odd-valued cards on

14 odd-valued cards and,
the suits does not matter. If
cannot tell that there is a
Split the deck at its midpoint. Place the packets before a spectator
who shuffles the cards evenly, and have him dovetail or riffle shuffle
the two halves of the deck together. Because of the way the deck was
stacked, after the shuffle, the top part of the deck will contain odd
cards and the bottom of the deck will contain even cards. There will be
a fewodds and evens mixed together in the center of the deck.
Have the spectator lift off about half the deck and cut it to the
bottom. Then ask him to lift off the top half of the deck. Take it from
him. Cut the top three or four cards of this packet to the bottom of the
packet. Then spread the cards and have him choose one near the top.
Because of the setup, he willchoose an even-valued card.
Place this half of the deck aside. Pick up the other half and cut the
top three or four cards to the bottom of the packet. Spread the packet
and have his card returned to the center of the packet. Square up the
packet and give it to him. His card is the only even-valued card in a
large group of odd-valued cards in the middle of this packet. He reads
the.cards one at a time from the top. When he begins calling out a
senes of odd-valued cards, wait for him to call out an even-valued card.
Saystop. You will have stopped him at his card.
104. The Simplissimo Detection

The spectator shuffles the deck, chooses two cards with the deck in his
own hands. ~eturns. them t? the deck. then gives the deck another
shuffle. DespIte the Impressive test conditions, the magician picks up
the pack and immediately locates both cards.
Shuffle Systems
129
Method: This is an extension of the "Premier Card Discovery." By

means of this technique the deck can be given two dovetail shuffles, yet
one or more selected cards can be immediately located.
Arrange the deck with all the reds on top and the blacks at the
bottom. When ready to present the trick, remove the deck from its case
and hand it to the spectator. From this point until the end of the trick
when the chosen cards are located, you do not handle the deck. It is
this point which makes the trick seem impossible.
The spectator deals the deck into two face-down heaps, alternating a
card to each heap as he deals. Then he shuffles the two halves of the
deck together with a dovetail or riffle shuffle.
He cuts the deck into thirds. Have him pick up the top third, shuffle
it and remove two cards. He notes the cards and replaces them in the
bottom third. Then he shuffles the bottom third and places it on the
table. The middle third is placed on top of this packet and the top third
is placed on top of all.
Again the spectator deals the deck into two heaps. Then he dovetail
shuffles the two heaps together and hands you the pack. Fan the deck
with the faces toward you. The top third of the deck will consist of a
run of red cards plus two black cards. The two blacks are the chosen
cards.
The trick can be made more impressive ifthe conclusion is delayed.
Find one of the chosen cards and remove it from the deck. Pretend to
have trouble with the other card. Have the deck shuffled again. This
shuffle destroys the evidence. Take back the deck. Spread it and locate
the second card.
Jordan added a marginal note that odds and evens could be used in
place of reds and blacks. In this case, the chosen cards would be the
two even-valued cards in a run of odd-valued cards in the top third of
the deck. Presented this way the deck can be spread face up at any time
to show the cards wellmixed.
Four-Ace Tricks
This kind of trick was perhaps one of the first plot ideas to evolve in
card magic. As presented by magicians to this day, the general. effect is
that the four aces, placed in different packets of cards, magically assemble in one packet. This chapter contains Jordan's published output
on the subject.
105. The Perennial Aces

The spectator removes the four aces from the deck and deals them
into a face-down row on the table. He then deals three cards on top of
each ace, then each ace packet is placed in its own envelope.
The spectator chooses an envelope. The performer shows that it
contains an ace and 3 indifferent cards. Then all four aces instantly
congregate into that envelope. The envelope contains just the four
aces and no other cards. The other envelopes each contain four
indifferent cards. There are no gimmicks or extra cards. All props may
be borrowed.
Method: The secret revolves about the way the cards are placed into
and taken out of the envelopes. To make the handling easier, when the
aces are removed from the deck, bend them so the faces are Concave.
The aces are placed face down in a row and three cards are dealt onto
each ace.
Pick up an envelope with the left hand, address side down. Tuck in
the flap. The right hand picks up an ace packet. As the face-down ace
packet is inserted into the envelope, the ace slides under the envelope
as shown in Figure 128. The fact that the ace is bent slightly aids in this
secret maneuver.
The left fingers hold the ace in place after the other three cards of
the ace packet have been slipped into the envelope. The illusion that all
four cards go into the envelope is perfect.
Pick up another envelope and place it on top of the first. Pick up
another ace packet with the right hand and repeat the process. The
second ace goes under both envelopes and ends up under the ace
already there.
'\
-
a nether- CO."~"".on top. In the
'0"" way )~'"".
p lac, the
Four-Ace Tricks
(END
131
VlE......-)
Fig. 128
Fig. 129
ace packet inside this envelope, letting the third Ace slide under all
three envelopes tojoin the other two aces.
The fourth envelope and fourth ace packet are treated the same
way. At the finish you will have three indifferent cards in each
envelope and all four aces under the stack of envelopes.
Fan the envelopes, keeping the aces under the stack. Have the
spectator touch any envelope. Say he chooses the envelope second
from the top. Square up the envelopes. Slowly remove the top
envelope with the right hand. then the envelope third from the top
and then the envelope fourth from the top. You are left with the
envelope indicated by the spectator. Under it are the four aces.
The right thumb goes into the envelope to open it. The fingers are
in back. Dump out the three cards inside the envelope, Figure 129. At
the same time, the right fingers grasp the four aces. Allow all seven
cards to fall together into the right palm. The result is that you have
three face-down indifferent cards on top of four face-down aces.
Drop the envelope to the table. Turn the squared packet face up to
show an ace at the face. Then turn the packet face down. Bend the
packet upward to take the curve out of the ace. The right hand then
takes the top card, showsit is an indifferent card and transfers it to the
bottom of the packet, putting a concave bend in it in the process.
Do the same thing with each of the next two indifferent cards. From
the audience's point of view you have removed a packet from a chosen
envelope and have just shown that it contains an ace and three
indifferent cards.
At this point. Jordan suggests picking up a different-color envelope
and inserting the packet into this envelope, but you can pick up the
132

3 c:."FIlI'04
TftA""."I.RRe.O
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c:,.."
'To
0,
c.K,
0<
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e.N ....... OK~
tw
~c" ....
~
Fig. 130
empty envelope and insert the face-down packet into that. In the
process, the four aces go into the envelope and the three indifferent
cards go under the envelope by the handling described above. ~he
right hand takes the envelope. thumb on top, fingers below holdmg
the three indifferent cards in place.
The left hand picks up the other three envelopes in a stack. Place
these on top of the right-hand envelope. Figure 130,and in the process
push the three indifferent cards to the left with the right fingers. The
three cards are then taken under the left-hand stack as the right hand
places its envelope on the table. This envelope now contains the four
aces.
Open the flap of the top envelope and remove the three cards
inside. In the process remove one of the indifferent cards under the
envelope, Figure 131. Count the four face-down cards and return
them to their envelope. Place the envelope on the table.
Repeat the same process with the remaining two envelopes. As the
audience sees it, you are showing that each envelope contains four
cards. The audience assumes that each envelope has one ace and three
indifferent cards.
Snap the fingers and command the aces to congregate into the first
envelope. The spectators may now open the envelopes to discover all
four aces in one envelope and the indifferent cards in the others.
106. "Perennial Aces" Notes

There are many different effects that can be performed with the
envel?pe technique of "The Perennial Aces." To take one example,
tuck In the flaps of four envelopes. As you do this, have a spectator
'"' ro." >~'" 0' ...~
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errveropes in
Four-Ace Tricks
133
the left hand. Pick up one heap of three cards, square it and have a
spectator remember the face card. Take care that you do not see the
face of any card. Placethe packet face down into the top envelope. In
the process, secretly slide the bottom card under the envelopes. Deal
the top envelope onto the table.
Repeat this with each of the other three stacksof cards and the other
three envelopes. At the finish you will have twocards in each envelope.
All four of the selected cards will be under the final envelope. It is
assumed you are seated. Bring the envelope to the near edge of the
table. Lower it below the edge and allow the four cards to drop as a
unit into the lap. Then toss the envelope onto the table.
Have the envelopes mixed. The spectator then gives them to you.
Place them under the table. As you do, turn the packet of cards face
up. Note the face card. Say it is the. 8. If the face card of each packet
was placed under the stack of envelopes and also slid under the cards
already there, the four cards will be in order. This means that the. 8
is the card chosen by the last spectator. Remark that you will find his
envelope and his card. Name his card. Bring any envelope into view
with one hand and the .8 with the other. Repeat with each of the
remaining spectators, first naming his card, then bringing up into view
any envelope plus the correct chosen card.
,
107. The Amazing Aces
The four aces are removed from
indifferent cards are placed face
replaced in different parts of the
the indifferent cards are turned
changed to the aces.
the deck and placed aside. Four

down on the table. The aces are
deck. Then the aces vanish. When
over, it is shown that they have
Fig. 132
Method: Remove the four aces from the deck and place them aside in a
face-up heap. As you square up the deck, obtain a left-third-finger
break under the top three cards of the pack. The right hand then turns
the aces face down one at a time into a heap. As the final ace is placed
on top of the others, obtain a right-thumb break under this card,
Figure 132.
134
Charles Jordan'sBest Card Tricks
Fig. 133
Fig. 134
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Fig. 135
The ace packet is apparently dropped onto the table at the performer's left. As the right hand passes Over the left hand, the left third
finger tilts the three-card packet up vertically, Figure 133. The right
hand drops the three aces below the break onto the top of the deck,
Figure 134.
At the same time the three cards held vertically by the left third
finger are deposited on top of the ace remaining in the right hand.
The right hand continues moving to the left. The audience is given a
glimpseof the ace at the face of the packet, then the right hand places
the packet face down on the table.
The balance of the deck is cut into four heaps. One heap is chosen by
a spectator. It can be any heap except the heap that contains the aces.
Four random cards are dealt off the top of this heap, shown to be
indifferent cards and placed to the right on the table.
Pickup the top card of the ace packet and place it face down into one
of the heaps, remarking that you will distribute the aces randomly
throughout the deck. Place the next apparent ace into a second heap
and the third apparent ace into a third heap. The last card in the ace
packetis an ace. Show the face of this ace. then pick up the heap that
has the aces on top. Place the ace into this heap, but no more than
threecards from the top. Thus the ace joins the other aces and now all
four aces are on top of this heap.
,
The deck is assembled with the aces at the top. Then the deck is
turned face up and held from above by the right hand. Obtain a
right-thumb break above the four aces. The left hand picks up the four
random cards and places them, still face down, on the bottom of the
pack so they are back 00bac .'M,
aces.
\
Four-Ace Tricks
135
The aces are released from the right thumb so that they join the four
random cards. The left hand then secretly turns over the eight-card
packet, Figure 135, the result being that the random cards have been
switched out and the aces have been switched in.
Spread the deck face up on the table. Four face-down cards will
show. The audience assumes these are random cards, but when the
cards are turned over they prove to be the four aces.
108. The Bewitched Aces

The four aces and the four 7's are removed from a borrowed deck.
Only these eight cards are used. The rest of the deck is placed aside.
Two of the 7's and two of the aces are placed on top of the deck.
Placing the remainder of the cards together, the magician asks what
these four cards are. The answer is, "Two aces and two 7's." But when
they are turned over, they are the four aces.The four 7's are found on
top of the deck.
Method: The aces and 7's are removed from the deck. Place the 7's in a
face-up row on the table to display them. Then they are gathered and
held face down in the left hand, but in the process, secure a
left-third-finger break under the top two cards.
The four aces are then shown in a face-up row. The right hand turns
the aces face down and arranges them in a face-down row. In picking
them up, grasp them from above. The right thumb obtains a break
under the top two acesas these cards are gripped by the right hand.
The aces are placed over to the left in a face-up heap on the table. In
the process, two of them are switched out as described in "The
Amazing Aces" (No. 107).The result is that the ace packet contains two
aces at the face and two 7's in back. The 7's heap is placed face up on
the right. It contains two 7's in front and two aces in back.
Turn each heap face down. Take the top two cards of the ace heap
and the bottom two cards of the 7's heap and place them on top of the
deck. Combine the remaining two face-down cards of each heap and
ask the spectator which cards these are. The audience says, "Two 7's
and two aces." When the cards are turned over, they are the four aces.
109. "Bewitched Aces" Notes

This is another way to handle the switch in "The Bewitched Aces."
Remove the aces and 7's from the deck and place the eight cards
together, aces at the face. As you square up the face-up packet, obtain
a left-little-finger break above the two 7's at the rear of the packet. The
packet is face up in the left hand at this point with the aces at the face.
Grasp the packet from above with the right hand. The right thumb
136
Fig. 136
takes over the break. The left thumb takes the facemost ace into the
left hand, Figure 136. As the left thumb slides onto the face of the next
ace to take it, the ace already in the left hand slides under the packet.
Take the second ace into the left hand.
Repeat the same action to take the third ace. But when the aces in
the left hand are under the right-hand cards, the left fingers hook over
the far right edge of the bottom two 7's and add them onto the two aces
already in the left hand. At the same time, the left thumb pulls the
third ace off the face of the packet. This ace goes on top of the 7's just
stolen from under the packet. The result is that the left-hand cards
consist of an ace at the face, then two 7's and then two aces.
Finish by taking the fourth Ace off the right-hand packet Onto the
left-hand cards. As the aces are taken, remark, "Remember the order
ofthe suits." Place the right-hand packet, supposedly the four 7's, onto
the left-hand cards. Then turn the eight-card packet over. Deal the top
four cards into a face-down heap to the left. Place the other four cards
in a face-down heap to the right.
Grasp the packets from above, make sure they are carefully squared,
then turn them face up to show an ace at the face of one heap, a 7 at
the face of the other. Turn the heaps face down. Deal the right-hand
heap onto the table, a card at a time. Remove the top two cards of each
and place them on top of the deck. Then show that the cards on the
table are the four aces.
110. The Pinochle Ace Trick

For this trick Jordan makes use of the eight aces from a pinochle deck,
but. the reader can use eight aces from two decks of matching back
design and color. The aces are dealt onto the table in two rows of four
cards each. Three cards are dealt onto each ace. Then one pile is
chosen by the throw of two dice. The other piles are returned to the
deck. On command four of the aces appear in the chosen pile.
Method: The spectator can remove the eight aces from the pinochle
deck, or he can remove the aces from each of two decks. One deck is
placed aside and the other deck used for the trick.
The deck is held in the left hand. Spread the top six cards and insert
the left httle finger under these. Square the deck, maintaining the
break.
Four-Ace Tricks
137
Fig. 137
The aces are turned face down. The performer picks them up from
the table with a sliding motion of the right hand from right to left. The
first two are picked up between the right thumb and first finger. The
next six are picked up between the right first and second fingers.
You are now apparently going to place the aces back on top of the
deck, but in the process the six indifferent cards will be loaded in
secretly. As you supposedly place the aces on top, slide the lower six
aces between the six indifferent cards separated from the top of the
deck and the pack proper, Figure 137.
Then you apparently deal the Aces onto the table in two rows as
follows:
I
7 8
The cards at I and 2 are aces. The others are indifferent cards. Deal
three cards onto the card at position 1, three onto the card at position 2,
and so on for each of the remaining cards in both rows. Unknown to
the audience, there are four aces at position I and four aces at position
2.
Two borrowed dice are used to choose a random number between 2
and 12. It is always possible to count the chosen number in such a way
that you end up on the pile at position I or position 2. Thus the random
number will always lead to an ace pile. The method of counting is as
follows:
If 2 is rolled, begin the count on heap 1 and count to heap 2. If 3 is
rolled, begin the count at 4 and count 4-3-2, ending on heap 2. If 4 is
rolled, count 4-3-2-1, ending on heap 1.
If 5 is rolled, begin at heap 8, and count 8-7-6-5-1. For 6, begin at 8
and count 8-7-6-5-1-2. For 7, start at 5 and count 5-6-7-8-4-3-2. For 8,
begin at 5 and count 5-6-7-8-4-3-2-1.
If9 is rolled, begin at I and count 1-2-3-4-8-7-6-5-1. If 10, begin at 1
and count 1-2-3-4-8-7-6-5-1-2. If 1I is rolled, begin at 4 and count 4-32-1-5-6-7-8-4-3-2. Finally, if 12 is rolled, begin at 4 and count 4-3-2-15-6-7-8-4-3-2-1.
The above chart may seem formidable, but you will quickly gain facility with it through practice. Note that the count starts on 1 or 4 most
of the time, and that for the numbers most likely to be rolled (6, 7, 8)
the count begins on heap 5 or heap 8. If you begin the count from the
left, this appears logicalbecause you would normally begin the count at
your left. But if you begin the count at the right (heap 4 or heap 8) the
138
spectator assumes you are beginning the count a.this left so again all
appears logical. Finally, remember.that the count IS done only once, so
there is no discrepancy for the audience to note.
Assume the spectator ends up on heap]. Pick up the top three cards
of all the other heaps, the aces from heap 2 going on top of all. Then
place the single ace from heap 2 on top of the deck. The other SIXsmgle
cards from positions 3 through 8 are placed o~ top of the deck, but you
must secure a little finger break below these SIX cards. Jordan suggests
that you then use the two-handed pass to shift the top six cards to the
bottom invisibly.
Four aces can now be dealt from the top of the deck and shown. The
audience assumes there are three more aces in the deck and only one
aceat position I on the table. Snap the fingers, turn over the four cards
at position I and show that four aces have gathered at the chosen heap.
The pass can be eliminated in this trick. Simply gather the cards at
positions 2 through 8 on top of the deck, cut the deck and complete the
cut. At the finish of the trick the deck can be spread face up to show
four aces in the center of the pack.
111. Leave It to the Aces

The aces are removed from a borrowed deck and placed on the table.
A card is then chosen and returned to the deck. The spectator names
any ace. Then he inserts the aces one at a time into the deck. On
examining the deck he finds that the named ace has located his card.
Method: In the original method a difficult sleight was used. The aces
were removed, then a card was chosen and secretly brought to the top
of the deck. The spectator chose any ace and inserted it into the front
of the deck. As the ace was pushed in square with the deck, a move
called "The Diagonal Palm Shift" was used to get the ace into the left
palm. The ace was then loaded onto the bottom of the deck. The other
three aces were pushed into the deck by the spectator. The deck was
cut, thus bringing the chosen ace directly adjacent to the chosen card.
An e~sie~ method is this. When the borrowed deck is handed to you,
spread It WIth the faces toward you. Remove the aces one at a time and
place them at the face of the deck. When all four aces are on the
bottom, spread the bottom cards and secure a left.little-finger break
under
the five cards at the face of the deck. Square up the packet with
the
deck.
T?e right hand grasps this packet of five cards from above, thumb at
the mner end, fingers at the Outer end. Lift the packet away from the
face of the deck ".The left thumb then aids in levering the deck over
face down. The nght-hand packet is then flipped face down on top of
the deck as shown in Figure 138.
Deal off the top four cards one at a time, reversing their order,
and
Four-Ace Tricks
139
Fig. 139
Fig. 138
place them into a face-down heap on the table. Have the spectator
choose any card in the deck. The card is returned and controlled to the
top. The method described in "The Triple Escape" (No. 22) can be
used to get the chosen card to the top.
Hold the deck face down in the left hand. The spectator takes the
top ace. Ask him to insert it somewhere near the bottom of the deck.
The card remains jogged from the front of the deck for the moment.
The next ace is inserted a few cards higher in the deck, the next ace a
few cards above that and the last ace a few cards above that. Of course
the last ace is not an ace but an indifferent card. All four cards are
jogged.
The situation now is as shown in Figure 139. Unknown to the
audience, the chosen card is on top and there is an ace second from the
top of the deck. Youcan raise the deck and show that the jogged cards
are aces, then lower the deck again. The audience sees only the
facemost ace. Square the aces into the deck, then give the deck a cut
and complete the cut. Spread the deck face up on the table. One ofthe
aces is found to be directly adjacent to the chosen card.
112. "Leave It to the Aces" Notes

This is a quick trick using the techniques described in "Leave It to the
Aces." As the audience sees it, the four aces are removed from the
deck. Then a card is chosen and returned to the center of the deck.
The aces are dropped on top of the deck. One ace immediately sinks
down into the pack and ends up adjacent to the chosen card.
Run through the deck, remove the aces one at a time and place them
on the face of the deck. Spread the first fiveor six cards at the face as if
checking that you have all the aces. As you square up, get a left-Iittlefinger break under the fifth card from the face.
Lift these five cards off with the right hand. Lever the deck over to a
face-down position in the left hand with the aid of the left thumb.
Then flip the right-hand packet face down on top of the deck. Remark
that you do not want the spectator to pick one of the aces so you will
140
put them aside. Thumb over the top fou.r cards ~ne at a time, without
reversing their order, and take them with the nght hand. Turn the
squared packet face up and put it on the table. An ace shows at the face
of the packet.
Spread the deck and have any card chosen. The card is looked at
and replaced on top of the deck. Then the deck is given a cut and the
cut completed. Unknown to the audience, one of the aces is already
adjacent to the chosen card.
Place the deck face down on the table. Pick up the ace packet, turn it
face down and deal the aces one at a time onto the top of the deck. The
audience sees you deal four aces onto the deck. Snap the fingers, then
take cards off one at a time from the top of the deck, turning them face
up as you do so. The first three cards are aces, but there is no fourth
Ace. It is gone.
Have the spectator spread the deck face up. The vanished
the center of the deck adjacent to the chosen card.
ace is in
113. Mystery Aces

In this chapter's final routine,Jordan anticipated the development of a
move known as the double cut. The idea behind the double cut is that
the bottom card of the deck is transferred
to the top in two straight
cuts of the deck. Jordan's version of the move is incorporated into an
ace trick in which the aces mysteriously congregate in one heap.
Method: The aces are removed from the deck and dealt out face down
into positions I, 2, 3, 4 as shown in Figure

aces are toward the audience.
140. The long sides of the
Place the pack face down on top of the ace at position 2. Then pick
up the deck from above with the left hand. You are going to deposit
the lower quarter of the deck at D (that is, below the ace at position 4),
but the left thumb really holds the ace in place as the bottom quarter of
the deck slIdes out, Figure 141. This move is a form of the bottom slip
cut.
",,;-"-......:
.sorrOi"f aup cv r.
Fig. 140
Fig. 141
Four-Ace Tricks
141
Fig. 143
Fig. 142
Fig. 144
Grasp the deck with the right hand, Figure 142, as you prepare to
double cut the ace to the top. Remember that the audience thinks the
ace is at the bottom of the packet now at D, so the cut appears to be a
casual cut of the deck. To begin the cut, have the right fingers draw
back the bottom card (the ace) as shown in Figure 142.
Place the deck in the left hand, Figure 143.The right hand takes the
bottom half away, the jogged ace going with it. Since the right hand is
above the ace, the jogged condition of the ace is concealed from the
audience's view.
The half in the right hand is placed on top of the left-hand half, but
in such a way that the ace is flush with the half of the deck in the left
hand, Figure 144. The right hand then grasps the jogged bottom
packet and cuts it to the top. The result of this double cut is that the ace
has been secretly cut to the top of the deck.
The entire sequence is now repeated. Drop the deck on top of the
ace at 3, place the lower quarter of the deck at A (i.e. a little below the
ace at position 1)but retain the ace at the bottom by the bottom slip cut
of Figure 141. A double cut then brings this ace to the top of the deck.
Drop the deck on top of the ace at 4. Deposit the lower part at B, but
retain the ace on the bottom by the bottom slip cut. Perform the double
cut to bring the ace to the top. At this point, three aces are on top of
this portion of the deck.
Drop this portion on top of the ace at position 1. Then place the
packet plus the ace at position C. There are now packets at A, B, C and
D. Remove the supposed ace from the bottom of D. Deal three cards
from the top of D onto it. Then discard the rest of D. Repeat with each
of the remaining packets.
142
There are now four packets on the table. Each packet contains four
cards. The packet at C contains the four aces, although the audience
believes there is an ace at the bottom of each packet. You can force
packet C by means of the force described in "Satan's Prophecy" (No.
71)or you can simply show that the aces have vanished from packets A,
Band D. Turn over packet C to reveal the four aces.
114. "Mystery Aces" Notes

A method that does awaywith the bottom slip cut depends on the glide
described in "The Inseparable Aces" (No. 193). It works logically into
this trick because the card glided back is automatically in position for
the Jordan version of the double cut.
The idea is to place the aces in a row as shown in Figure 140. Drop
the deck on the ace at position 2. Pick up the deck from above with the
right hand. Glide the bottom card back as in Figure 142 and place the
next bottom card (supposedly the ace) at position D. There is still an
ace at the bottom of the deck and it is still jogged because of the glide
you just performed. Thus the deck is in the position indicated in
Figure 142. Now perform the Jordan double cut of Figures 143 and
144to get the ace to the top of the deck. Then drop the bottom quarter
ofthe deck on the supposed ace at position 3.
Repeat in a similar waywith the remaining aces. Then go on with the
rest of the routine as written.
Subtle Secrets
Many of Jordan's best card problems use subtle handling ideas to re~Iace difficult sleight of hand. While there may be some prior preparation, the approaches produce effects that are stronger in their impact
on the audience. Subtle secrets, combined with uncluttered handling,
are the key ingredients in these routines.
115. New Card Reading

The spectator is given an unprepared pack for shuffling. The magician
takes the deck behind his back. He concentrates for a moment, then
brings the deck forward, saying that he will try to read the cards while
they are behind his back. The deck is shown on all sides, then placed
behind the back. The magician announces that the face card of the
deck is the .5. The pack is brought into viewand it is seen that the
face card is indeed the. 5.
This card is placed aside. The magician places the deck behind his
back, concentrates, then says that the face card now is the .9. The
deck is again brought into view and the face card is seen to be the .9.
The trick is repeated any number of times. Although he cannot see
the faces of the cards, the performer is always able to name the face
card of the deck.
Method: In the rear trouser pocket is a joker with the corner removed,
Figure 145. When you get the deck behind the back, hold it face up in
the left hand. Place the joker face down on the face-up deck. Then
turn the bottom or back card of the deck face down and replace it at
the back of the deck. At this point the deck is face up with a face-down
joker on top and a face-down indifferent card at the back.
Because of the prepared joker you can bring the deck into view, hold
it so it appears to be face down, yet glimpse the index of the top card as
shown in Figure 145. If it is desired to show the pack all around, hide
the cutout with the right thumb, Figure 146.
To perform the trick, bring the deck out into view and explain what
you are going to do. Glimpse the top card through the cutout in the
144
fig. 145
fig. 146
joker, then place the deck behi?d the back. Remove the card under the
joker, turn it over and replace It at the back ofthe dec.k.
Now bring the deck into view again, face t? the audience. A~nounce
that the face card nfthe deck is the.
5, namIng the card you glimpsed
Show the deck on all sides, covering the cutout in the joker with the
right thumb. Then hold the deck face do~n, remove the card y~>ujus
named and toss it out onto the table. GlImpse the card that IS now
under the joker. Place the deck behind the back, remove the glimpsed
card from under the joker, turn it face down and place it at the back of
the deck.
Announce that
glimpsed. Bring
apparently to the
repeated as often
the new face card is the .9, or whatever card you

the deck into view, with the face of the deck
audience, and let them see the .9. The trick can be
as desired.
116. "New Card Reading" Notes

An impromptu version of "New Card Reading" can be done if you do
not mind losing a card each time you perform the trick. There is no
preparation. Have the deck shuffled and cut. When you take it back,
note the bottom card. It makes no difference whether or not the
audience sees you look at this card. Say it is the .A.
Place the deck behind the back. With the deck held face up in the left
hand, take the "-A, turn it face down and place it at the back of the
deck. Now take the face card, silently tear off the non-index corner,
then turn this card face down and replace it at the face of the deck.
The situation now is that the top card is face down and has a corner
missing. Under this is the face-up deck, and under the deck is the
face-down 4oA. The deck is in the left hand. Slip the torn non-index
corner into the sleeve or tuck it under the watchband.
Bring the deck into view with the face of the "-A toward the
audience. Announce that you are going to read the cards from the face
of the deck. "In this case," you say. "the face card is the ace of Clubs."
Some spectators probably saw the "'A at the face of the deck when you
Subtle Secrets
145
were handed the cards, so all appears unchanged. Glimpse the card
below the torn-corner card by glim psing its index corner through the
cutout.
Place the deck behind the back. Then remove the card under the
torn-corner card, turn it over and place"it at the face of the deck. The
trick from here followsthe format of "New Card Reading." Proceed to
name a few cards in this manner.
After you have named three or four cards this way, dropping each
card into the jacket pocket after it has been read, retrieve the torn
index corner and hold it loosely palmed in the right hand. When you
bring the deck out again to show the audience the card at the face,
glim pse the face of the torn corner in the palm. The index will tell you
the identity of the torn-corner card. If the index corner is face down,
when you bring the deck behind the back to read the next card, turn
over the index corner.
The final card you name is the torn-corner card itself. Turn this
card over and bring it out with the right hand. The right fingers
conceal the missing corner. Drop this card into the jacket pocket along
with the loose index corner.
At the finish, remove all the cards from the pocket except the
torn-corner card. Replace the cards on top of the deck. The deck can
now be left with the audience, or you can go on to perform other
tricks.
117. Stampedo
In this routine, a duplicate card is created with an ordinary deck in an
ingenious way. A completely different method is discussed in "Coincidentally" later in this chapter (No. 120).
In the present routine, ten cards are removed from the deck and
placed on the table. Then a card. is chosen by ~hespect~tor. A postage
stamp is affixed to the face of this card and It IS placed In the ten-card
packet. The audience sees it go into the packet. On command, the
postage-stamped card leaves the packet and returns to the deck.
.3
Method: Before the trick begins, moisten one end of a fresh postage
stamp and fasten it over an end pip of the
as shown in Figure 147.
Fig. 147
146
Charles Jordan's BestCard Tricks
Fig. 148
Fig.149
Place the prepared "'3 on the bottom of the deck. Place the"" A on top
and you are ready to begin.
.
It is necessary to force the "'A. Jordan suggested no par-ticular
method, though it is assumed he would have used the Classic Force.
Another method is the X-Force, which is handled as follows. Place the
deck on the table. Have the spectator cut off a portion from the top
and place it on the table. Pick up the bottom part of the deck and place
it on top, but at right angles, as shown in Figure 148. Remove a
duplicate postage stamp from the pocket and place it on the table.
Then lift off the upper packer, remove the top card of the lower packet
(the "'A) and give it to the spectator. Finally, pick up the lower packet
and place it on top of the packet in hand. The deck is now back in its
original order with the "3 On the bottom. Place the deck on the table.
After the spectator looks at his card, take it back. Moisten the
postage stamp. At the same time moisten the tip of the right second
finger. Fasten the stamp to the .A in the same position as on the .3.
Show the "'A to the audience, then place it face down on the table.
Drop the deck on top of it. Then pick up the deck and deal ten cards
off the top into a face-down heap.
Pretend to draw off the "'A from the bottom. but glide the bottom
card back and take the "3 instead. The gliding action is illustrated in
Figure 142. The left hand then cuts the deck, completes the cut and
hands the deck to a spectator.
Insert the ... 3 face down into the face-down packet of ten cards.
Insert it far enough to hide the bottom pip. The face of the card is then
displayed as shown in Figure 149. The left thumb hides the uppermost
index corner of the "'3 and the stamp hides the uppermost pip. The
result IS that the card appears to be the -'-A.
In pushing the card flush into the packet. the right second finger
bends back and moistens the free end of the postage stamp. When the
.3
Subtle Secrets
147
has been squared into the packet, it will adhere to the back of the
card below it.
You are thus able to fan the cards or count them face up onto the
table, showing only ten cards. The
has vanished. Actually, the
postage stamp causes the
to stick to the card below it, forming a
double card that hides the "-3 from view.
All that remains is to have the spectator holding the deck look
through the cards. To his amazement he finds the stamped "'A back
in the pack.
.3
.A
118. The New-Pack Detection

A sealed deck is handed to a spectator. He breaks the seal and removes
the deck from the case. The spectator cuts the deck several times, then
deals it into two heaps. He picks one for himself and gives one to
another spectator. Each person shuffles his heap. Then each takes a
card from the other person's heap, looks at it and returns it to his own
heap. Each heap is again shuffled.
Despite the obvious fairness of the handling, and the fact that the
magician has never touched the cards prior to this time, he picks up
each heap and finds the chosen cards.
Method: Buy two new decks with the same back pattern and of the
same color. Open one of them and note the way the cards are
arranged. They are usually arranged ace through king in each suit.
Remove the jokers and advertising cards. Then deal the deck into two
heaps, alternating a card to each heap as you deal. Pick up one heap
and note the cards in that heap. You should find that if a heap contains
a king of a particular suit, it will also contain the jack of the same suit.
If the heap contains the ace of a suit, it willalso contain all the odd-spot
cards of that suit.
The cards will fall this way even though the deck is given several
straight cuts before the deal, and this is the key to the trick. Once you
are familiar with the cards that must fall into each heap, you can easily
tell which card is missing from that heap. With this knowledge you can
proceed with the mystery at hand.
Give the unopened deck to the spectator. He breaks the seal,
removes the deck, givesit several straight cuts, then deals the deck into
two heaps. The heaps go to two spectators. Each shuffles his heap.
Each person then chooses a card from the other person's heap, notes it
and shuffles it into his own heap.
Take either heap. Fan the cards with the faces toward you. Look
over the cards. With practice you will be able to spot the chosen card
immediately. Remove that card and place it on the table. Repeat with
the other heap. Then reveal the two cards.
, 48
Both cards can be found by examining just o.neheap_.Fir~t folotethe

card that does not belong. Then determine which card IS missing that
should belong.
,
119. The Lifesaver
This is an impromptu version of "The New-Pack Detection," using a
borrowed shuffled deck.
The deck is mixed by the spectator. He removes any card, then
hands the pack to the magician. The deck is dealt into two face-down
heaps. One of these is selected and the spectator shuffles the chosen
card into this heap.
The magician then looks through the packet, or has the cards read
aloud to him, and immediately names the chosen card.
Since there are two heaps on the table at the conclusion of this trick,
the performer can go immediately into "The New-Pack Detection" by
having two cards chosen and returned to opposite heaps. He then
locates each chosen card.
Fig. 150
When the performer gets back the deck after a card has been
removed, he divides it into two heaps according to the following
scheme. The ace, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of Spades, Hearts and Clubs, plus the
7, are placed in one heap. All other cards are placed in the other
heap. It may seem difficult to remember which cards go into which
heap, but the system is easyand is explained as follows.
Each of the cards in the first heap is known as a "pointer" card
because the majority of the pips point in one direction. If you study
Figure 150 you will see that in the. 3 on the left, two of the pips point
downward, but only one pip points upward. If the card is turned
around end-far-end, it looks like the.
3 on the right. Now two of the
pips point Upward and one pip points downward.
There are 22 pointer cards in most decks. They are the ace, 3, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9 of Hearts, Spades and Clubs, plus the .7. These cards can be
spotted instantly as cards are dealt off the face of the deck into two
face-down heaps on the table. Silently Count the number of pointer
ca~dsdealt Into the first heap. If 21 are dealt, the spectator picked a
pointer-card. If 22 are Counted, he picked a non pointer card. Have the
chosen card returned to the heap containing an even number of cards,
Method:
Subtle Secrets
149
After this heap has been shuffled, look through it and quickly locate
the card that does not belong. This is the chosen card.
Note that pointer cards are used here because they are easily
distinguishable on sight. In a trick called "Faces or Backs, Which?"
Jordan exploits another characteristic of pointer cards. Note, too, that
in having the chosen card returned to the heap containing an even
number of cards, you insure that it goes into the heap containing the
opposite kind of card. Should your deck contain more or fewer than
22 pointer cards, make sure the chosen card goes into the opposite
heap, i.e., if the spectator has chosen a pointer card, this card goes into
the non pointer heap, and vice versa.
120. Coincidentally
In this two-deck card trick a clever method is used to obtain a duplicate
of any card in the deck. The effect is that four random cards are
chosen from one pack and placed in a row on the table. One of the
four cards is picked by the throw of a die. It is seen to match exactlya
randomly chosen card from the other deck.
Method: Required are two decks that have the same back design and
the same color backs. Also needed is an ordinary die, which may be
borrowed. Since the decks are identical, we willrefer to the deck on the
right as the right-hand deck, and the deck ou the left as the left-hand
deck. Even if the decks are exchanged during the course of the
handling, the deck on the right is always referred to as the right-hand
deck.
The packs are shuffled by the spectators. One deck is placed face
down in each hand. Deal a card off the top of each deck. As you ask the
spectators to decide which face-down card willbe used, place the hands
behind the back and exchange decks. Jordan provides no details, but a
simple method of performing the deck exchange is as follows.
Clip one deck between the left thumb and first finger. Clip the other
deck between the right first and second fingers, Figure 151. Place the
hands behind the back, bring them together, and place the left-hand
deck between the right thumb and first finger. At the same time clip
the right-hand deck between the left first and second fingers. The
han.ds now separate, Figure 152. Bring the hands around to the front
again.
150
Rather than bring the hands behind t?e bac~, you can sim ply turn to
one side as you ask the spectators to decide whichcard they want of the
twocards now on the table. The deck exchange is brought about as you
turn away.
"
.
After the deck exchange, the right hand holds the deck ongmall~ m
the left hand and vice-versa. This subtlety bnngs about an Intngumg
end result because now each pack contains a duplicate of one card on
the table.
The spectator indicates either of the cards on the table. When one
card has been decided on, pick up the other card. Assume the
spectator wants the card on the right. Place the right-hand deck on the
table near the spectator's card. Then pick up the other card (the one
on the left in this example). Note the identity of this card. Say it is the
.2. Find the duplicate. 2 in the left-hand deck. Place the .2 from
the table into the left-hand deck adjacent to the .2 already in the
deck.
Cut the deck between the duplicate cards and complete the cut. The
result will be that there is one .2 on top of the deck and one on the
bottom. Place the pack face down on the table to the left.
The card selected by the spectator is face down on the table at
the right. Glimpse theface of this card. Say it is the. 3. "You chose the
two of Diamonds," you say, naming the other card. Pick up the
right-hand deck. Remove three cards, one of which must be the
duplicate of the chosen card. If the spectator chose the. 3, you would
remove the. 3 from this deck plus two random cards.
Place these three cards with the .3 face down in a row so that the
.3's become the first twocards in the row:
.3 .3 X X
Take the left-hand deck into the left hand. Riffle the outer end with
the right fingers. When stopped by the spectator, take the lower half of
the deck with the right hand and the upper half of the deck with the
left hand. Place the twoheaps side by side. Ask the spectator if he wants
the top card of the leftmost heap or the bottom card of the rightmost
heap. When he has made his choice, remove that card and place it before ~he .spectator. Of COursehe must get a .2. Have him place this
card In hIS pocket. Assemble this deck by placing the left heap on top of
the nght heap .
. Remove the die and give it to the spectator. Have him roll it a few
times to satisfy himself that it is not loaded. Then tell him to throw the
die one more time. Wh.atevernumber he rolls, you can always count to
one of the f~rce cards m the row. Remember that the spectator thinks
that the. 2 ISone of the cards in the row. The force is accomplished as
follows.
If he rolls I, count to the first card on the left. 1 he rolls 2, Count to
the second card from the left. If he rolls 3, begin the count at the right
and COuntto the third card.
If he rolls 4, COuntto the fourth card from the right. If he rolls 5,
Subtle Secrets
151
begin at the far right, count four cards to the left, then, when you reach
the left end of the row, count one card to the right. Thus you willend
up on a .3. If he rolls a 6, begin the count at the far left, count four
cards to the right, then count two more to the left, ending on one of the
duplicate cards.
To take this final example in more detail, assume the four cards are
arranged in a row as follows:
ABC
Cards A and B are the duplicate .3's. If the spectator rolls 6, count
in the following way: A-B-C-D-C-B. Since you end on B, you end on a
force card. In any case, no matter which number is rolled, you always
arrive at a .3.
Take the .3 you stopped at and place it on top of the right-hand
deck as if to return this card to its own deck. Hold this deck in the right
hand. Pick up the other deck in the left hand. The situation is that there
is a .3 on top of the right-hand deck and a .2 either on the top or
bottom of the left-hand deck.
Ask a spectator to turn up the other three cards in the row. As he
does, you must exchange the. 2 for the .3. Jordan suggests that the
hands meet behind the back. The. 3 and. 2 are transferred to opposite decks. The hands are brought out in front again.
When the spectator verifies which card is missing from the row, deal
it off the top of the right-hand deck. This card will be the. 2, so all
appears fair. Have the spectator remove the card he earlier placed in
his pocket. It is a matching.
2. Thus random cards chosen from two
different decks turn out to be matching cards.
121. "Coincidentally" Notes

The principle utilized in "Coincidentally" can be exploited in the
context of a self-working card trick. As the audience sees it, the
spectator chooses four cards from one deck. One of these four cards is
placed in another deck, whereupon it instantly returns to its original
deck.
Method: Required are two matching decks of the same back design and
color. Have the decks shuffled. One deck is then placed in each hand.
Turn your back and thumb off a card from the top of each deck onto
the table. The card from the left-hand deck goes to the left and the
card from the right-hand deck goes to the right. Say that you want
random cards used and for this reason you have turned your back.
Now turn and face the spectators again. It can be seen that by this
means you have performed the equivalent of the Jordan deck exchange. Ask the spectator to point to either card. Say he wants the card
on the left. Glimpse the face of this card. Whatever it is, call out a card
152
of the same value but opposite color. For example, if this card is the
42, call out a red deuce, say the .2. Pick up the unwanted card and
return it to a card case, saying that this card willnot be used.
Assuming the chosen card, the 42, is the one on the left, take the
left-hand deck and fan it with the faces toward you. Cut the . 2 to the
top or back of the deck. This is the card you called out. Then openly
remove the" 2, 2 and .. 2 from this deck and place these cards .on
the table. Put the balance of the deck into the card case that con tams
the card placed there earlier.
Mix the four deuces, but arrange to have one" 2 second from the
top and the other .2 fourth from the top of the packet. Ask for a
number from] to 4. If I is chosen, deal one card from top to bottom
and place the next card on the table. If 2 is chosen, take the second
card from the top. ]f 3 is chosen, deal three cards from top to bottom
and take the next card. If 4 is chosen, take the fourth card. In any case,
you will end up with a .2.
Take this card, glance at the face and call it the .2. Then say, "If I
put it into the other deck, a peculiar thing happens." Place it face down
into the center of the tabled deck. Turn up the other three deuces to
show the "'2, 42 and .2. Then snap the fingers. Point to the card
case and say, "The two of Hearts returns to its own deck."
The spectator removes the deck from the card case, turns over the
top card and it is the. 2.
122. Transfero
The spectator chooses a card from a blue-backed deck. Say the card is
the A. This card is openly and fairly placed into the center of a
red-backed deck. It vanishes instantly and is found back in its own
pack.
Although tricks of this kind can be accomplished with sleight of
hand,Jordan devised a handling where subtlety replaces sleights.
Method: Beforehand,
place the red-backed.

A on top of its Own pack.
Inser~the pack into the card case as shown in Figure 153. Note that the
deck IS face down and that the semicircular cutout in the card case is
upright. This is the only preparation and it can be done after some
other trick by cutting the. A to the top of the red-backed deck and
then inserting the red pack into its case as shown.
To present the trick, have the two card cases in the left hand,
blue-backed deck on top. Remove the blue deck and have someone
~h~ffleit. Transfer the red case to the top so that the deck is face up
inside the case. Remove the deck, but leave the. A behind. Hand out
the balance of the red deck for Shuffling. Close the flap of the red card
case so that the flap goes behind the face of the A as shown in
Figure 154.
Turn the case over so the semicircular
cutout is on top. Take back
Subtle Secrets
153
Fig. 154
Fig. 153
'N06X tlWD
PIP c:0t0'W'~
AC.3 ,&
~/!o
'TO"
J"IPD
~1'Co't_~"'t..
Fig. 155
RCoBA<:I<ED
CA/UJ INSIDE
ew=
CI4SE.A~""O"D
Tl::K;rHER.
,,*ITH
:D.e:C"C.
Fig. 156
the blue pack and place it face down on top of the red card case. Then
hand the blue card case to a spectator to examine. The blue-backed
deck is in the left hand at this point with the red card case under it.
With the right thumb above and fingers below, grasp the end of the
blue deck. The second finger contacts the. A. Figure 155. The left
hand draws out the red card case and hands it to the spectator to
examine. The red-backed A has remained behind when the card
case was given to the spectator so the. A now lies at the face or bottom
of the face-down blue deck.
Place the blue deck face down on the table and place the red deck
face down to the right of it. It is necessary to force the odd-backed. A.
Jordan suggests a method based on the two-handed pass. An easier
method is this: Hand the blue deck to the spectator and have him place
it behind his back. Tell him to bury the top card in the center. Then
have him turn the bottom card over and insert it into the middle of the
pack. He then brings the deck into view and spreads it face down. The
face-up card in the center will be the chosen card. It is the. A.
Remark that you will find the red-backed. A. Pick up the red deck
and cut the. 3 to the top. Turn the deck face down and insert the. 3
into the pack. By grasping the.
3 as shown in Figure 156 and tilting
the deck up so the spectator can see the faceof this card, it appears that
you are inserting the. A into the deck.
________
.......:J
154
Turn the red deck face up. Take the face-up. A from the spectator
and insert it into the red pack. Someone then shuffles the red deck an?
spreads it face down to discover that the A from the blue deck IS
gone. The spectator then finds the.
A back in the blue deck. All may
be left with the spectator for exammatrorr.
.
The principle behind this trick is that a card from one deck IS
secretly loaded into another deck. It is then openly removed from that
deck and returned to its own pack. In the process, both decks are
restored to their original order. Although nothing has happened
if
you judge the net result, it appears as if a card .has v~nish~d. T~is
principle has found many uses in contemporary card tncks In which
cards are made to vanish under strict test conditions.
123. "Transfero" Notes

If you have a moment to set up the trick, you can perform "T'r-ansfero"
so that the. A not only ends up back in its own pack, but it is face up
in the middle of the face-down deck. There are no sleights.
Set up the blue-backed A, the red-backed A and the
blue-backed ... 4 under the blue card case as shown in Figure J 57. The
rest of the blue deck is in its case and the rest of the red deck is in the
red card case. Have the cased red deck on top of the blue deck at the
start.
Method:
Hold both decks in the left hand. The three extra cards are squared
up at the bottom of the blue case, against the left palm. Open the red
card case, remove the red deck and have it shuffled. Place the empty
red case on the table. Then open the blue card case, take out the deck
and have it shuffled. Close the flap. Place the red card case on top of
the blue case and close the flap of the red case.
Take the shuffled red deck back and place it face up on the table.
Placethe red card case on top of the deck. Take back the shuffled blue
de~kand place it face up on the table. Place the blue case on top of it,
takmg care not to flash the three cards on the bottom of this case.
Grasp the red card case and deck in one hand, Figure l 58. Turn
them over. Place them on the table. Repeat with the blue card case and
blue deck. Take care not to flash the extra cards being loaded onto the
.BLUE-8ACKI!O
Fig. 157
Fig. 158
Subtle Secrets
155
face of the blue deck. As the apparatus is turned over. remark, "We'll
turn the cards face down."
Lift the blue deck from its case and hand it to the spectator. Tell him
to place it behind his back. With the deck behind his back he buries the
top card in the center, then the bottom card in the center. Have him
take the new bottom card, turn it over and insert it into the middle of
the pack.
Take the deck from him. Spread the cards from left to right until
you come to the face-up. A. Cut the deck at that point and complete
the cut. Place the blue deck on the blue card case. The.
A is face up
on the top of the pack.
Pick up the red deck. Turn it face up and insert the face-up. A into
the deck, remarking that you will insert the blue A into the red deck.
Snap the fingers, spread the red deck face down and show that there
are no blue-backed cards in the pack. Immediately pick up the blue
pack, spread it face down and show the. A face up in the center of its
own pack. The ace has instantly jumped back to its own deck.
124. The Master Riddle

Six cards are chosen by six different spectators. The cards may be
marked or signed for later identification. They are placed on a tray in
a heap. The magician places the deck behind his back. Anyone takes
one of the six cards and inserts it into the middle of the pack. With the
pack behind his back, the magician immediately names the card. The
process is repeated with each of the remaining cards. There are no
gimmicks. The deck stays behind the back. The six cards can be
inserted anywhere in the pack.
Fig. 159
Method: Prior to performance, bridge or crimp the bottom six cards of
the deck and replace them on the bottom. They will be slightly
separated from the rest of the deck as shown in Figure 159. Have six
cards chosen and looked at. Place the deck on the tray. If no tray is
available, place the cards on a book.
As you step back from the audience, lift up all of the deck except the
bottom six cards and place the deck on top of the heap containing the
chosen cards. Thus the chosen cards have been secretly switched for a
packet of six indifferent cards. The bridge in the deck enables you
quickly to lift up all but the bottom six cards.
Secretly glimpse the bottom card of the deck as you place the deck
l.! Il
.....:..
......:.il
1S6
behind the back. This glimpsed card is one of the chosen cards.
Request someone to step fo:ward, remove one of the cards from the
tray and insert it anywhere Into the deck. Cut the. deck and complete
the cut. Then reveal the identity of the card you glimpsed.
Bring the deck into view. Run t~rough the cards and. remove t~e
card you just named. As you do, glimpse the five cards In back of It.
These are the other chosen cards. Memorize these five cards. Have the
pack shuffled. Then take it behind your back. Now have each of the
remaining cards on the tray inserted into the deck. Name a memorized
card each time. The spectator can remove each card from the deck
after it is named.
If asked to repeat the trick and you do not have time to prepare the
cards, do "The Twentieth-Century Puzzle" (No. 66). It is a similar
effect with a different method.
r
125. Satan's Tranee

Playing cards are manufactured with two different finishes. One is
known as Air Cushion or Smooth Finish and the other as Linoid or
Cambric Finish. Smooth Finish is smoother than Cambric Finish and
the difference can be detected by sense of touch. Some brands of cards
are manufactured in both finishes. This means that if you have two
decks with the same back design and same color, although all cards
look exactly the same, the smooth cards can be readily located, even if
the performer is blindfolded and the deck is held behind the back,
because the cards can be detected by sense of touch.
This principle was introduced by Ford B. Rogers in Tricks With
Prepared Cards (1913), a pamphlet published by Donald Holmes. It has
since become a standard technique for distinguishing cards. Jordan
applied it to the followingeffect.
The deck is shuffled. All of the low cards are removed. Thebalance
of the deck is cut by the spectator while the magician's back is turned.
Four people each take cards and seal them in individual envelopes.
The envelopes are mixed and the lights are turned out. Writing
sounds are heard. When the I!ghts are turned on again, it is seen that
on the outside of each envelope is written the name of the card sealed
inside the envelope .
. The envelopes are opaque and tightly sealed. Each envelope can be
signed ~o prevent a switch. The magician can see nothing at any time,
yet he IS always able to reveal the identity of the card inside each
envelope.
A combination of Smooth and Cambric Finish cards is used.
The cards are arranged as follows. The underlined ten cards are Air
Cushion Finish. The others are Cambric Finish. From face to back the
arrangement is:
Method:
Subtle Secrets
""A-""K-"'Q-'" j-"'10-""9-""8-"'7-.
.8-.7
A-. K-.Q-.
157
J-. 10-.9-
"'A-"'K-4IlQ-4Ilj-4IlIO-"'9-4Il8-4Il 7-+ A- + K-+ Q- +J+8-+7
+ 10- +9-
The remainder of the deck consists of the 2's through 6's. These are
on the bottom of the deck. This completes the preparation of the cards.
The envelopes are arranged so they can be detected in the dark by
sense of touch. A simple method is to nick with the fingernail one corner of the first envelope, two corners of the second, three corners of
the third and four corners of the fourth. Place the envelopes in order
on the table.
To present, the low-value cards are riffle shuffled into the balance of
the deck. After the shuffle, remark that you will use just the high-value
cards. Have the spectator remove the 2's through 6'sjust as he comes to
them. With these cards out of the way, the remaining cards are arranged in the above setup.
Turn your back. The deck is then cut and the cut completed by the
spectator. A spectator takes the top card, notes it and seals it in the first
envelope. Each of the remaining spectators do likewise, so that you
have cards sealed in four envelopes. The second spectator's card is in
the second envelope, the third spectator's card in the third envelope
and the fourth spectator's card in the fourth envelope. The envelopes
are mixed and placed on the table. The lights are then turned out.
In the darkness take the deck and deal the top card onto the table.
Detect by sense of touch if it is a rough-finish card. If not, deal quietly
until you corne to the first rough-finish card. Take this card into the
right hand but do not deal it onto the table. If the next card has a rough
finish, take it also with the right hand. Continue until you have all of
the adjacent rough cards. There will be one, two, three or four rough
cards. depending on where you are in the stack. But knowing how
many rough-finish cards you have found adjacent to one another, you
also know where you are in the setup.
To take a specific example, the top card is smooth, so it is dealt to the
table. The next card is smooth so it is dealt to the table. The next card is
rough so it is taken into the right hand. The next card also feels rough
so it is taken into the right hand. The next card is smooth so it is replaced on top of the left-hand packet. You know you are at a point in
the deck where there are two adjacent rough cards. This can only be at
the point where the. A is.
Replace the rough cards on top of the left-hand packet. Beginning
with the. A, silently advance in the setup a card at a time as you deal
cards off the top of the left-hand packet to the table. In this example,
you will deal the last card when you come to the'" K. This means that
the first spectator chose the next card in the setup, the "'Q, the second
spectator chose the"" J, the third spectator the"" 10 and the fourth
~~~
........ '..if
158
~pectator the ..,9. Sincethe ~nvelope~ ar: marked so the~,can be distinguished by sense .of ~ouc~.'simply wnt~, queen of Clubs o!'- the env~lope with one nail nick, Jack of Clubs on the envelope with two nail
nicks and so on.
If there is a rough card on top when the packet of cards is handed to
you, ignore it. Deal through the packet past the first run of smo~th
cards until you detect a rough card. Then count the number of adjacent rough cards to determine where you are in the setup. The handling then proceeds as written above.
..
.
Note that Jordan avoids the difficult problem of determining
directly what cards are in the envelopes. Rather, he takes the easier route
of examining the packet to find out which cards are missing from the
deck.
126. "Satan's Trance" Notes

The setup used in "Satan's Trance" arranges the cards in numerical
order in each suit. A system that appears to be more random is the
following. We shall call it the "Up 4, Down 3 System." The idea is to
begin with a certain card, then add 4 to get the next card. Then
subtract 3 to get the next card. Add 4 to get the next card, subtract 3 to
get the next and so on.
In the present case we want to stack the cards that have a value of 7
or higher. The first card isa 7. The next card is4 higher, or ajack. The
next is 3 lower than thejack, or an 8. The next is 4 higher than an 8, or
a queen. Following this in the system are the 9, king and 10.
The aces are inserted at the beginning of each run, that is. before the
7. Suits follow the Clubs-Hearts-Spades-Diamonds rotation. The complete setup is:
"'A-.7-.J-+S-"'Q-9-<IIK_ + 10-+ A-<II7-+

]-"'S-Q-.9+ K-""IO-.A-..!1-"'j-S-<IIQ-+9_""K_IO_+ A-"'7- J-.8+Q-"'9-. K-.IO
Instead of using Smooth Finish and Cambric Finish cards, we use
another system of marking cards so they can be detected by sense of
touch. This is the punch system described in "It's Up to You" (No. 46)
and "Punched Card Notes" (No. 47). The underlined cards are punchmarked.
When performing the trick using this system, if there is a punched
card on top of t?e pac~et when the cards are handed to you in the
darkened room, Ignore It. Deal through until you come to the next set
of punched cards. There will be either one such card (indicating it is
the "'A) or two (indicating they are the .A and + 7). Proceed to the
end of the packet to determine which cards were chosen by the spectators. The rest is as written above. The stacked-deck system used by Jor-
Subtle Secrets
159
dan later developed into something called the Cray Code. It is the basis
for many baffling mysteries.
127. Telepathic Control

From a shuffled deck the magician fans the cards and has four
removed, thus reducing the deck to 48 cards. He explains that these
four cards must be out of the way in order for the trick to work.
The spectator deals the deck into four heaps. He chooses any heap,
notes the top card and cuts it into the heap. The performer asks him if
the card is odd or even. Upon hearing the answer, the magician
instantly names the chosen card. The effect is repeated with the top
card of each of the remaining packets.
Method: When you first get the deck, memorize the bottom five cards.
If this seems difficult, put five easily memorized cards on the bottom
beforehand. One wayto do this is to choose cards of the same valuesas
the last four digits of your phone number. Remove them and place
them in order on the bottom of the deck. Note the suits of these cards
so you can later reveal value and suit. Then remove an easily
remembered card like the" A and place it on the bottom of the deck.
The stack thus consists of the .A plus the last four digits of your
phone number.
If you can give a false shuffle to the deck while retaining the bottom
stock of five cards, do so. Otherwise give the deck a series of straight
cuts. Let the spectator give the deck a final cut.
It is necessary to get the memorized five cards to the bottom of the
deck. It is accomplished in the following subtle way. Spread the deck
with the faces toward the spectator. Explain that the trick will not work
unless four particular cards are removed from the deck. Here you
name any random three cards except the cards on the bottom of the
deck. With the faces of the cards toward the spectator, he finds and
removes these three cards.
Tell him that the fourth card is the AlA.With the deck still fanned so
the faces are toward the spectator, have him remove and discard the
.A. As he does this, note where the .A came from in the fan, then
cut the fan at that point and complete the cut. Your memorized stack
of four cards is back on the bottom of the deck.
Have the spectator deal the deck into four heaps. The memorized
cards are on the tops of the heaps. Have the spectator choose a heap,
note the top card, then cut the packet to lose the card. The byplay of
asking whether his card was odd or even is the final bit of misdirection.
Pretend his answer matters, then name the chosen card. Repeat with
the top card of each of the other heaps.
More Stacked-Deck Tricks

This is the second chapter of tricks using stacked decks. Jordan used
the principle of stacked decks quite frequently in the ~ontext of poker
deals, mental effects, card vanishes and torn-card routmes.
128. Diabolical Transposition

Two decks are used. A spectator cuts one deck in half and pockets
either half of the deck. He then chooses a card from the other half and
returns it to that half. Without sleight of hand, the chosen card
vanishes from its half and appears among the cards in the spectator's
pocket. The same effect is repeated with the other deck.
The principle is the same as described in "Coincidentally" (No. 120),
but here it is put to use in a different Context.
Method: Use two packs of the same back design and same
Arrange 26 cards in this order from the top down: ""A-.4-.7-
"'K- .3- .6- +9-""Q- .2- .5- +8- ""J-. A-44-
+ 7-""10-
color.
+10K-
.3-
+6-""9-.Q-.2_
+5-"'8-.].
Remove the same cards from the matching deck and arrange them in the same order, -"'A at the top J at the
bottom. Place this packet on top of the other packet. You will thus have
a deck of 52 cards in which each card in the top half is matched with a
duplicate in the bottom half.
There are now 26 cards remaining from each deck. Arrange them
the same way as indicated above. The difference is that instead of the
"'A, the first card will be the .A. Instead of the .4, the next card will
be the + 4. Instead of the. 7, the next card will be the"" 7 and so on.
Each card in the second deck will be the same value and color as the
card in the corresponding position in the other pack. Place each deck
in its case and you are ready to begin.
This stack is known as the Si Stebbins setup. As you advance from
card to card the value increases by 3. The suit rotation is Clubs-Hearts_
Spades-Diamonds. Each half of the deck is arranged in the Si Stebbins
setup. This means that any card in the deck is 26 cards away from its
duplicate.
To perform the trick, invite two spectators to assist. Have each
remove a pack from its case, cut the deck and complete the cut. Each
deck can be C~lt as often as desired. Each spectator then deals the top
26 cards off hIS pack. Each person pockets his half deck.
More Stacked-Deck
Tricks
161
Take the remainder of the deck from the first spectator, spread the
cards and have him choose one. He notes his card, then returns it to
the packet and gives the packet a shuffle. Have the other spectator
choose a card from his packet, note it and replace it in the packet. He
then shuffles his packet.
Take a packet in each hand. It is necessary to switch the packets.
Jordan suggests using an advanced method called the two-handed
pass. A self-working method will be described in the notes following
this trick. Still another method is to place the packets behind the back
and switch them by the method indicated in Figures 151 and 152.
After the switch, place the second spectator's packet before the first
spectator and. vice-versa.
Command the first man's card to vanish. Count the cards in his
packet from hand to hand so that he alone can see the faces. His card is
gone. He removes the packet from his pocket and finds his card in that
packet. Repeat with the second spectator to show that you have caused
his card to vanish and reappear in his pocket.
Since you never know the name of either card nor the location of
either card, the vanish of each selected card and its reappearance in
the spectator's pocket looks impossible. At the finish each deck consists
of 52 cards, so there are no clues as to how it was done.
129. "Diabolical Transposition" Notes

This is a self-working trick using the principle described in "Diabolical
Transposition." The setup is the same. To present the trick, have each
spectator cut his deck and complete the cut. Then each person deals
off 26 cards and pockets the dealt packet.
Now step behind the spectators. Ask the first man to shuffle the
remainder of his deck and fan it so he can see the faces. Since you are
standing behind him, you too can see the faces of the cards. Ask him
merely to think of any card he sees. Tell him that you will look over his
shoulder at his cards and think of a card too. Your intent is to try to
guess which card he is concentrating on. After both of you have cards
in mind, take his half deck with your right hand, Figure 160.
TOP VIEW
Fig. 160

Charles Jordans Best Card Tricks

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With 265 ntustrations

Copyright 1992 by Karl Fulves.

and Imemauonal Copy-

Published in Canada by General Publishing

Fulves ; with 265

Undoubtedly, Jordan wasat the height of his creative powers during

Fingers of the hand, as referred

In confronting the Jordan legacy, one is immediately struck by the

The Hourglass Card Trick

"Five Guesses" Notes

15. The Incomprehensible Destroyed Card

The StraitjacketReversed Card

The Downs Slip Cut

The Single-Card Reverse

The Unknown Leaper

Long-Distance Mind Reading

The Perennial Aces

New Card Reading

Strippers and One-Way Decks

146. Stripper Secrets

Further Impromptu Card Tricks

The Nine-in-Ten Detection

A Jordan Card Routine

More Prepared-Card Tricks

The Ever Ready Principle

198. Spook Card

The Jordan Count

The Phantom Aces

Impromptu Card Tricks,

1. The Hourglass Card Trick

Best Card Tricks

2. A New Card Discovery

3. The Infallible Detection

4. "Infallible Detection" Notes

Best Card Tricks

Impromptu Card Tricks

7. The Keystone Card Trick

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Impromptu Card Tricks

Best Card Tricks

Impromptu Card Tricks

10. The Sequel

11. Master Stop Trick

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Impromptu Card Tricks

12. The Spirit Mathematician

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Impromptu Card Tricks

13. The Five Guesses

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14. "FiveGuesses" Notes

Impromptu Card Tricks

15. The Incomprehensible Destroyed Card