Cassell's Book of In-door Amusements, Card Games, and Fireside Fun

by Various

First Method, with three cards out of the piquet pack of thirty-two cards. Let any person select three cards, and place them separately, faces downwards, on the table. On each of these must be placed as many cards as will, with the number of pips on the card, make fifteen. The remaining cards are to be handed to the performer, who goes through any farce he chooses to make the audience believe that his calculations depend upon the pips of the cards handed to him. The actual result is obtained by adding sixteen to the number of the remaining cards. For instance, suppose the cards selected are a king, a ten, and an eight; on the king (which counts ten) will be placed five cards, on the ten will be placed five cards, and on the eight will be placed seven cards, making in all twenty cards used and twelve remaining. The total number of the pips will be twenty-eight, made up of the king, which equals ten, the ten, and the eight, i.e., 10 + 10 + 8 = 28. The twelve cards which remain, added to sixteen, also make twenty-eight.

Second Method, with two cards out of the ordinary fifty-two card pack. The two cards must be placed as the three described in the first method, and each have placed upon it sufficient cards, with the number of pips on the card, to make up twenty-five. The number of cards remaining will be the number of pips on the two bottom cards. For instance: take it that the nine card and the seven card are selected; on the nine card sixteen other cards will have to be placed, and on the seven card eighteen other cards, making thirty-six cards in all, leaving sixteen cards over; thus 52-36 = 16, or 9 + 7 = 16.

LIKE WITH LIKE.

Select from a full pack all the picture cards and aces and one ordinary card; place the ordinary card in the centre of a table, and proceed with the following descriptive and illustrated anecdote:—"One dark night four farmers came to a tavern, represented by the card on the table, and asked for a night's lodging. The landlord, having four unoccupied rooms, showed one farmer into each of the rooms." (At this point place round the card representing the tavern the four knaves). Proceed: "Not long after, four policemen knocked at the door, and also requested lodging for the night; but as the rooms were all occupied, each policeman had to share a room with one of the farmers." (Here place an ace over each of the four knaves.) "Presently four gentlemen came with a similar request, and for the same reason a gentleman was put into each of the already occupied apartments." (Here place a king upon each ace.) "To add to the crowding and inconvenience consequent upon these arrangements, four ladies next called and required accommodation, and the landlord, at his wits' end, placed a lady in each of the already over-tenanted rooms." (Place a queen above each king.) "The ladies were naturally indignant, and suggested that it might at least be arranged that they should be placed together in one room, similar requests being at the same time made by the kings, the policemen, and the farmers. The landlord consented, and all were soon lodged like with like." While finishing the story, place the four descriptions of cards in heaps, and one heap upon the top of the other, and let them be cut as often as is desired. If the cards are now told off in order from the bottom of the pack, and placed around the tavern, the knaves will be found in one circle, the aces in another, the kings in a third, and the queens in a fourth.

TO MAKE A CARD COME OF ITS OWN ACCORD OUT OF A PACK.

Let a card be drawn, ascertain its designation by means of one of the sleights already described, or when it is replaced in the pack keep its position in view. Being previously supplied with a tiny piece of wax attached to a long hair, press the wax on the card in question, retaining the hair attached to the thumb or wrist-link. Place the cards on the table, and by means of the hair pull away from the others the card that was drawn. The hair will be imperceptible to the audience if placed facing the performer. While pulling the card away, say that the card chosen will now walk out of the pack. When it is separated from the pack the performer should quickly take it, remove the wax, and expose it to view.

TO DRAW A PARTICULAR CARD FROM A COAT POCKET.

For this trick a long card will be required. Force that card upon some person, hand him the pack, and request him to be good enough to place the drawn card in any position in the pack he chooses, and to place the pack in his own coat pocket, promising that the card drawn shall be picked out of the pack while in his pocket. The sense of touch will render the trick perfectly simple, and easy to perform as promised. The same trick may be varied by placing the cards under a hat, in a basket, bag, or in any other convenient receptacle.

TO DEAL OUT THE ALTERNATE CARDS IN A PACK SO THAT THE CARDS DEALT OUT SHALL FALL IN ROTATION AND IN SUITS.

The very greatest care is necessary in arranging the cards for this trick, as in the event of one card being misplaced, the whole trick will be spoiled. To arrange the pack sort the suits of spades, clubs, and diamonds in numerical sequence, and the suit of hearts in the order of seven, ace, queen, two, eight, three, jack, four, nine, five, king, six, ten; place the hearts face uppermost so that the seven is at the bottom and the ten at the top. The other suits are also to be placed face uppermost, with the aces at the bottom. Sort in together the suits of clubs and hearts by placing the seven of hearts under the ace of clubs, the ace of hearts between the ace and two of clubs, and so on. Place the suit of spades on the top of the suit of diamonds, so that the ace of spades is immediately atop of the king of diamonds. Work in together the two half-packs so formed by placing the seven of hearts under the ace of diamonds, and then take one card alternately from the bottom of each pack, so that when completely arranged the top faced card will be the king of spades, and the second card the king of clubs. The cards are then ready to be brought forward for the trick to be performed. Turn the pack face downwards, remove the top card and place it at the bottom, turn up the next card, place the third at the bottom, turn up the fourth card, and so on, alternately removing a card to the bottom of the pack and turning up a card. The cards turned up, commencing with the ace of diamonds, will fall in rotation and in suits.