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ANNEMANN’S
MASTER SUBTLETIES
WITH CARDS
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This principle is not new to card workers, but has been in the discard for a number of
years and therefore is rarely thought of at the present time. Due to the fact that I have
discovered a new type of card perfectly adapted for this work and have perfected a
number of new and original kinks and ideas for using same, the work that can he done
with an unprepared pack of cards has baffled and nonplussed some of the best work-
ers in this line throughout the country.

The principle is that known as REVERSIBLE BACK CARDS -- in short, cards that,
through the natural printed design on the back, can be turned end for end and a glance
at the back will inform the man in the know whether the card is headed one way or the
other. If all the cards in the pack are turned one way, one card removed and returned
in a reversed condition can be found, as it is the only one turned around. Nearly every
back design has some slight mark or discrepancy on the cards near the ends that can
be used for this purpose and can be found by riffling the cards and watching the upper
part of the backs for a “moving picture” of the difference in the two ends of the cards.
Up to this time, however, there has never been a mark that could be sighted instantly
on a fast deal and even in a nearly darkened light. The back I have found fills this pur-
pose and at the same time is of such a nature that it will never be noticed or recognized
as such even by experienced card men.

Use Bicycle Cards, League Back, in the Blue Back which is best.
A sample of this particular back is enclosed. In the centre is a
design of three wings. It needs only a glance after this informa-
tion to show you how you can tell whether the card is turned one
way or the other. At the time of this writing dated on the last page,
these Bicycle cards are being put out from the factory arranged
as follows in their sealed container: From the back to face of pack
they read: Ace to King of Hearts, Ace to King of Clubs, King to Ace of Diamonds, King
to Ace of Spades, Joker, Bridge Cards, Guarantee Card. It is also of importance to note
that in a new sealed deck the backs are all arranged the same way throughout -- in
other words, the wings are all pointing one way.

As an example, take a deck and arrange the cards all one way. Now reverse one card
near the centre. Now hold the deck, backs towards you, and riffle the upper end,

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bending them back so you get a glimpse of the centre circle as they riffle by. Watch the
instant change in the wing design when you pass the reversed card.

When the cards are arranged thusly all in one direction, the deck can be shuffled over-
hand without fear of ever disarranging them. It can also be riffle-shuffled at the ends if
you will take care that the two halves are not turned around in doing so. The deck can
then be cut also with impunity.

The following pages detail the various tricks which I have worked out using this princi-
ple, I consider them masterpieces of misdirection, and the fact that they are all done
with an unprepared deck and little or no skill adds to my claim that they are all of the
highest class of subtlety that can be found in present day card work.

ANNEMANN’S SINGLE CARD LOCATION

This is apparently worked entirely by the spectator. Shuffling the pack (which, of
course, is arranged with the backs all one way), you cut same into two about equal
piles, laying them side by side face down on the table. Now the important move here
and unknown fact is that, in laying these two piles down, you have laid one with the
back turned one way and the other is with the back turned in the opposite direction.

Turning your back, you request the gentleman to remove ANY CARD FROM EITHER
PACKET AND PLACE IT ANYWHERE IN THE OPPOSITE PACKET and to remember what
it is. He is to tell you nothing of what he does.

Turning around, you remark that you do not know which packet the card was chosen
from or into which packet it was placed, and you openly and genuinely riffle the two
packets together. In picking them up, you do so with the fingers of each hand at the
outer ends of the packets and the thumbs at the inner ends. You pick up both heaps at
the same time and then riffle-shuffle them together at the thumb ends of each, which
(if you will figure a moment with cards in hand) makes the cards in the pack all one
way again! And this is a natural move on your part. But here is the trick: One card was
moved from one pile to the other and this card IS NOW THE ONLY ONE IN THE PACK
THAT IS TURNED THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE OTHERS! No matter which card
was moved and no matter from which pile, this fact will prove itself if the two piles are
laying on the table pointed in opposite directions when the passing is done.

You now overhand-shuffle the deck openly and then, holding face down, begin deal-
ing the deck into a face-up pile on the table, asking the person to watch for his card
and, when he sees it, to mentally think “STOP”. Your head is down and throughout this

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dealing you watch the backs of the cards in your hand. The moment the reversed card
appears on top, you know it and, when you deal this face up, you stop and you have
found his card under the most impossible conditions.

ANNEMANN’S CUT PACK CARD LOCATION

Shuffle pack and hold same face down in your left palm, the deck lying longways
across your palm. Tell the spectator that you will turn your head and for him to merely
cut off a portion of the deck anywhere he likes and to note the face card of that portion
and to replace the cut. Immediately he does this, you ask him to take the deck from
your hand and cut it several times. All this is done without your seeing the cards and
now, dealing into a face-up pile as before, you stop at the correct card.

As you place the shuffled deck on to your palm in readiness for the cut, get a glance at
and remember the bottom card. Now stand to the left side of the person who will cut
and, as your fingers are on one long edge and base of hand on the other, he will have
to cut from the ends with his thumb and fingers. Hold your hand in front of him, the
heel side (side little finger is on) being nearest him. The moment he cuts a portion from
deck, you turn further to the right (your head has been turned to right), telling him at
the same time not to let you see the cards at all. This appears to be an honest effort on
your part and, as you do so, your left hand swings closer to your body and you ask him
to replace the cut, BUT HE DOES SO NOW AND THE LOWER PACKET IN YOUR HAND
HAS BEEN TURNED AROUND AND THE THUMB SIDE OF YOUR HAND IS NOW NEAR-
EST HIM. Immediately he takes deck from you and cuts it several times.

Taking deck, you know that half of the deck is turned one way and half is turned the
opposite way. YOU also know that the noted card is the last card of either one of these
two halves and, as you remember the card that was originally at the bottom of pack,
you know that it MUST BE THE OTHER!

Start dealing through into a face-up pile but watch the back of the deck. All at once,
AFTER YOU HAVE DEALT A FACE-UP CARD, you will see that the next card on top of
deck is turned around. IF THE FACE UP CARD NOW ON TABLE IS THE ONE YOU ORIGI-
NALLY NOTED AT BOTTOM OF DECK, DO NOT STOP BUT KEEP ON DEALING. If the card
face up IS NOT the one you originally remembered, IT MUST BE THE SELECTED CARD.
If you keep on dealing, watch the backs (which are now all reversed) and all at once,
AFTER YOU HAVE DEALT A FACE-UP CARD, the top card of deck will be reversed. THE
CARD JUST DEALT FACE UP IS THEN THE SELECTED CARD.

Thus you see that, in going through the deck, there are two cards easily findable, one
of which must be the selected card. And, as one was at first at bottom of the deck and

4
you remembered it, the other one is the right one. The motion of the hand is perfectly
natural and will prove so by trial.

ANNEMANN’S NE PLUS ULTRA CARD LOCATION

This is my third and last location of a single card in the pack. The first two are per-
fect and 100% sure in working. This last is about 70% sure, as there is an element of
chance. But I have found that if I do fail I immediately hand the pack to him again and
repeat. The trick appears so utterly impossible that they are always willing to do so,
and I have never yet failed to do it in three attempts. But it will always create a great
impression because of its impossible look.

After shuffling the pack, cut about the top thirteen cards and reverse them on top of
the pack, and then do likewise with the bottom thirteen or about that many. Hand the
pack in this condition to a person and, turning your back, ask him to do as you say.
Ask him to give the deck one straight cut so you do not know the position of any of
the cards. He is then to remove a card from somewhere in the centre of the pack, to
remember it, then to replace it on top and to then cut the deck several times before
handing it to you.

What he has done is this: People nearly always cut the pack about even, which at
any rate will bring a group of about twenty-six cards in the centre of the pack turned
one way and small groups on top and bottom turned the opposite way. A card now
removed from near the centre will be from this group, and placing same on top will
place it among cards turned in the opposite direction. Deck can now be cut as often as
pleased and, when you take same, you know there are two groups of cards: one group
one way and the other group the opposite, and in one of the two groups is one card
turned around. Therefore you deal them face up and watch the back of the deck. When
you come to a card reversed from the ones just dealt, deal same and, if the next card
is turned the same way, keep on. But if the next card is reversed (the same as the ones
before the card just dealt) card face up is the right one. In short, watch for one reversed
card among and between cards turned the other way. If no cards are found thus after
you have dealt through, cut a few cards from top to bottom or vice versa, to bring deck
to original position and hand it back for another trial. When done correctly, this has a
wonderful effect upon your audience. It is worth the trial and risk, and I am including it
for the sake of completeness.

ANNEMANN’S FIVE CARD THOUGHT TRICK

Shuffling the pack, you have a spectator cut same to make sure you do not know any of
the top cards. At once you fan off the top five cards and ask him to THINK OF ANY OF

5
THE FIVE. With them still facing away from you, you insert them in different parts of the
pack and then square the pack by tapping all edges on the table. Now give the deck a
thorough and absolute overhand shuffle and then a riffle shuffle or two, and let a spec-
tator cut deck and hand to you. Starting from the top, you throw the cards on table in
fans of six and seven, face up, and tell spectator to say “Yes” when he sees his card. At
once you pick up cards and, running through pack, locate his thought of card.

You are holding deck in left hand and, after shuffle and cut, fan off the top five cards,
holding them so spectator can think of one. The first subtlety comes when reinstating
them into the pack. To insert them, you are holding the fan of five in right hand, fingers
in front, thumb behind. The left hand with deck turns to the right so that the top end
of the deck now points directly to the right. The right hand, with fan held face-down,
turns to the left. The seven or eight from the bottom are sprung clear of deck by the
left thumb and the right hand holding fan inserts bottom or fifth card of fan into deck.
Left thumb makes another break a little further up towards top; right hand turns a little
more to left and next card of fan goes into this break, etc., until all the five cards have
been inserted thusly into pack in different places. They are then pushed home out of
sight and the edges of deck tapped and then given a good, genuine shuffle. The nice
part of this move is that THE FIVE CARDS HAVE BEEN CLEANLY REVERSED IN THE
DECK. They are the only five turned around in the deck.

After the shuffling and cutting, you are ready to find the card. All you know at this time
is that there are five reversed cards scattered throughout the deck and that one of
them is the selected card.

Starting at top of pack, count off in a fan, face down in hand, six or seven cards and
throw them face-up on table, telling spectator to stop you when he sees his card dis-
played. When you do this, you silently count them always to yourself and watch the
back design for reversed cards. When a reversed card comes out in a fan, you know the
number of it in the fan and, as you throw them face up, glance at once at that card and
note it, immediately turning head away. If person says nothing, start another fan and
forget the card you noted. If the person says “Yes”, then you know that the card must
be the one you noted, as it is the only card in the fan reversed.

Once in a while but not very often, two reversed cards will come out in the same fan.
Merely note the two numbers when fanning them and, when you throw them down face
up, note the two cards. If person says “No”, keep on but, if he says “Yes”, you know it is
one of the two. Throw rest of deck face up on top of them, picking them all up. Then run
through deck face towards you and put one of the two on top and the other on bottom.
Say that you have found his card and ask him to name it. If he names the bottom card,
turn deck over and show; if the top, slowly turn over card and show.

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Thus when they say “Yes” you know their card, so always pick up entire deck, run
through faces towards you, pick out card and throw face down on table. Ask them to
name their card and, when they do so, ask them to turn it over. If it happens to be one
of two, finish as given above.

ANNEMANN’S FIVE CARD STAB TRICK

This is to my mind, without doubt, the most perfect location of five cards possible
without sleight of hand or prepared cards, and the important factor is that, after three
genuine riffle shuffles, the five cards are located IN THE ORDER THAT THEY WERE SE-
LECTED, OR ANY ONE OF THE FIVE CAN BE FOUND AT ANY TIME.

With the deck arranged all one way, shuffle and pass to five people, having each re-
move a card and, after noting it, have them place it face down in front of them. Again
the deck is shuffled. Hold same face down in left hand and go to the last person who
drew a card. You will find that, by having them draw a card and asking them to place it
face down in front of them, very, very seldom will they turn their card around, as this
gives them no chance to fumble with it or place in their pocket, etc. You note the way
the fifth man’s card is pointing and you turn your deck in the opposite direction as you
cut off as near the centre of pack as possible and ask him to place his card face down
on top of lower half. Then step to fourth and have him replace his card on top of the
fifth man’s. Repeat this until all five have replaced their cards on lower half. These five
cards are in order from the top down and they are all reversed in the pack.

Now slowly and deliberately drop the top half upon lower half and hand deck to last
person (first man) and ask him to tap the edges to make sure that there is no possible
way of your finding the cards. Then, taking same back, you say that you will thorough-
ly shuffle it and, as you say this, cut off a little more than the top quarter of the pack,
making just a straight cut. This brings the five reversed cards within seven or eight of
the top of pack. Now cut the pack into two portions, a little below the centre of deck,
and genuinely riffle-shuffle the two halves, being certain you don’t reverse the halves
in doing so. Repeat this again, and then a third time if you wish.

To explain what has happened: The five reversed cards are in order a little ways from
the top. You cut below the centre and riffle shuffle. It is impossible to cut into the five
cards or come even near them and, even if several cards get between them all in the
shuffle, THE FIVE REVERSED CARDS ARE STILL IN THE SAME ORDER FROM THE TOP
DOWN. This remains true after two more riffle shuffles, although by now the five cards
are distributed through the top three-quarters of the pack.

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Now starting with the top card, deal them face down in a ragged row around table,
watching for reversed cards, and when you see the first, second, third, etc., remember
about where they fall. You are now blindfolded but you can still see down along nose.
Take the knife and, moving it around, find the first reversed card that came out of deck
and stab it. IT WILL BE THE FIRST MAN’S CARD. The second card from deck will be the
second man’s card. And so on with the other three. I sometimes vary by asking who
wants his card first and, as I know who is first, second, etc., I can stab out his card.

Even the professional card man will be confused on this as to how you can possibly lo-
cate the cards under the condition imposed, and the real mystery to him will be when,
after the genuine shuffles, you not only find the five cards correctly BUT YOU FIND
THEM IN ANY ORDER THEY CALL FOR THEM!

ANNEMANN’S ONE WAY SET UP

The beauty and value of this trick lies in the fact that, if your deck has been mixed and
the cards are pointing both ways, by doing this trick you perform a real mystery and
at the same time, right under their very eyes, rearrange the pack to point all one way
again.

Say that you will try to find three selected cards in a little different way than usual. Tak-
ing the mixed and shuffled pack, hand it to a party and turn your back while he removes
any card. He passes the deck to another, who repeats, and likewise he to another who
does the same. The deck is then returned to first party, who shuffles his card in pack,
and it is handed you for the first time. You deal haphazardly into two face-down heaps
the entire pack, really dealing into one heap ALL THE CARDS ENDED IN ONE DIREC-
TION, and in the other, all cards ended the opposite way.

Now ask the first party which heap you shall find his card in and, when he chooses, pick
up that heap, fan towards you, pick out ANY card, as you don’t show its face but merely
ask party his card’s name; nod head in verification and say: “That’s one, now for the
next,” and lay card face down on table.

Place the two heaps together so that BOTH ARE ENDED IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
Second man’s card is returned to the fanned deck REVERSED. Shuffle the pack well
and, if party shuffles overhand, let him shuffle. Glance through face-up pack to locate
his card but, failing, turn pack face down and this time you succeed in finding his card.
Actually glancing through face-up pack is a ruse to find and secretly bring to top the
FIRST PARTY’S CARD! Turn deck face down and find second man’s card, as it is re-
versed. GLANCE AT IT AS YOU PLACE ON TOP OF PACK, AND LIFT IT AND FIRST PAR-
TY’S CARD OFF AS ONE, naming second man’s card as YOU PLACE THE TWO, BACK UP,

8
ON THE FIRST CARD PLACED ON TABLE. Have third man’s card returned reversed and
have pack shuffled. Then locate it, name it, and place it on the cards on table. Place the
three cards from table, REALLY FOUR, FACE DOWN on top of pack, and then turn the
top three over, naming them one by one. This is a genuine puzzler and the subtle misdi-
rection in finding the first card is what makes this effective. Besides having performed
a good trick, you have arranged your deck all one way and can proceed with other
effects.

ANNEMANN’S ONE TO TEN DETECTION

This is a variation of my two-pile single card location. It depends upon the same princi-
ple of dropping the deck into two equal piles, each pile facing the opposite direction to
the other.

First you ask the man to think of any number from one to ten. Then, after placing the
two piles and turning your back, he is to transfer the same number of cards as the
number he thought of, from either pile to the other. He is to tell you nothing. Turning
back, you pick up the piles and riffle-shuffle them together as in the single card loca-
tion trick. Then an overhand shuffle. Now explain that there are four cards in the pack
of the same number as the number he thought of. Say that you will deal the entire deck
face up in a pile and that, each time he sees a card with the number he is thinking of,
he is to mentally think “Stop!” You tell him that, as he does this four times, you are sure
to receive the mental vibration on one of those times, which makes the trick surer than
if you were to have him think “Stop” only once.

The real secret is that now there are a number of cards reversed throughout the deck,
the number of them being the number he thought of. You deal deck through once into a
face-up pile but you actually watch the back of the deck and count every time a re-
versed card goes by. Thus, when you have gone through the deck, you know how many
cards were reversed in same and therefore you know the number he was thinking of.
Now take deck face towards you, run through and take out a card with the same value
as the number he thought of. Place it face down on table and tell him it has the same
number of spots as the number he is thinking of. When he names his number, tell him
to turn the card over, and that’s that.

ANNEMANN’S PAIR DETECTION

This is a new detection of a single card that may find favor with some. Shuffling deck,
you reverse the top four cards and the bottom four cards, and hand deck to person and
you turn back. Have him deal deck into four face-down heaps, a card at a time. He is

9
then to take any card from somewhere inside of any of the heaps, to remember it, then
to place it on top of any of the heaps, and then to pick up the four heaps in any order
and to cut the pack several times.

You deal through once and stop at his card. As you reversed the top and bottom four
and as there are fifty-two cards in the pack, when the four piles are completed the top
and bottom card of each pile is reversed. Now any card is taken from somewhere in
any pile and placed on top of any pile, and all picked up in any order and deck cut. The
deck now contains four pairs of reversed cards at different spots. But BETWEEN ONE
OF THOSE PAIRS IS A CARD TURNED IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, so when you deal
through the pack, watching the backs (the others are watching the cards as they turn
face up in the pile), you keep on dealing as long as two reversed cards turn up together,
but you stop when you find a reversed card between two reversed cards, and that’s IT.

ANNEMANN’S AUDIENCE LOCATION

This effect is based upon the subtle and natural principle that, if you hold a deck in
front of you, fanned for the selection of a card, and, closing the deck, put your hands
behind you to have the card replaced, the action will automatically reverse the deck for
the reinsertion! Try this with deck for your own satisfaction.

Shuffling the pack, you ask for two spectators to help. We shall call them #1 and #2.
Have them to your right and left. Hand pack to #1, asking him to give it a good over-
hand shuffle. Step to a distance and direct the procedure, calling attention that you
never touch the cards after they have been mixed up.

Tell #1 to fan the cards face down and have #2 draw one and hold close against his
coat so no one but himself may know what it is. (This also helps prevent him from
turning card around.) Then ask #1 to hold the deck behind him and to turn his back to
#2. Ask #2 to reinsert his card anywhere in the deck, and to then take the deck from
the hands of #1 and to shuffle them, #1 is then asked to turn around and take the deck
back. Neither #1 or #2 have any idea of where the card may be, and only #2 knows the
card’s identity.

Ask #2 to step off to a distance and turn his back towards #1. Performer walks up to
#1 and, holding out his hand, has #1 deal the cards face up on his palm, one at a time.
Suddenly the performer says “Stop!” and, picking up the last card dealt on hand, holds
it so everyone can see what it is except #2, who has his back turned. Than performer
asks #2 to name his chosen card and IT IS THE SAME!

10
Knowing the principle and the crucial move you can easily follow this. The deck han-
dled as above illustrated, when #2 replaces his card the deck is in a reversed position
behind #1. The shuffling does not alter the fact that only the selected card is reversed
in the pack. When #1 is dealing the cards face up on to your hand, you are covertly
watching the back of the deck in his hand and therefore you know when the reversed
card is dealt upon your pile. The rest depends upon your showmanship in presenting
the trick as one in which the spectators do everything.

ANNEMANN’S ALTERNATE DETECTION

This can be presented as a feat of memory or retrospection. The deck, when handed
to the spectator, must have every alternate card reversed throughout (52-card pack).
I have a method that I can only show one personally, in which I take the shuffled deck
from a party (arranged all one way) and, dealing through the deck once into a face-up
pile, I have automatically and naturally reversed every alternate card.

In doing this, I ask the spectator to watch the cards as I deal through and for him to
think of and remember any one of the fifty-two cards. I say that I shall try and memo-
rize the order of the fifty-two cards in seeing them only once.

At the finish of the deal, I square up pack and hand directly to him and ask him to face
the pack with the faces towards him, and to find the card he thought of, to take it out
and put it in somewhere else to merely change its position in the pack, making no
difference whether it is moved one card or thirty, as long as it is moved. He is then to
square the pack and cut same to suit.

Taking pack, I deal it once more face up, watching the back of deck as I do so. As every
alternate card was reversed when I handed him the pack and he moved one card, there
have become two pairs of cards in the pack that are pointing the same way together
instead of alternately. There is a pair pointing up and one pair pointing down. In run-
ning through the second time, I merely note them and remember. Then, fanning the
pack facing me, I get the four cards on bottom, note their order and place deck behind
me. He names his card and instantly I bring it forth, because until then, I could not tell
which of the four cards was the correct one. BUT IT MUST BE ONE OF THOSE FOUR.

July 21, 1928: I just found a rather strange thing with the Bicycle League Back Cards,
in the matter of reverse marks.

In any pack of fifty-two cards and the Joker, there are twenty-two, with a possible
twenty-three, cards that can be reversed and told thus by the face. This is by the

11
placing of the spots on the card, making a top or bottom. The cards that can be thus
distinguished are the Ace, Trey, Fire, Six, Seven, Eight and Nine of the three suits ex-
cept Diamonds; the Seven of Diamonds and possibly the Joker.

What is unique with this make of card and back design is that, when these cards are all
headed one way by the face characteristics, the wing design on the back on all cards
is headed one way! Thus a reversed card of these twenty-two or twenty-three can be
told either from face or back! And, when a deck has been arranged all one way by the
back design, the twenty-two or twenty-three cards in the pack have been automatically
ended in the one way also.

ANOTHER CARD DISCOVERY

An interesting move for the replacing of a card after it has been drawn by a spectator
from a reversible deck is to hand the deck straight to gentleman #2, asking #1 to re-
place his card anywhere in the pack that #2 now holds. If you know #2 shuffles over-
hand, ask him then to do so, but if not ask him to square deck, tap edges and then you
take and shuffle. Just the move of handing deck to #2 reverses same for #1 when he
pushes his card back in.

July 21, 1928: Rather a good day’s work, as I have a couple more useful points discov-
ered. The League Back wing design is wonderful for long distance work. For example,
stand two cards against something, pointed in opposite directions. Now walk away
and see how far you can see the reverse. You will be surprised. So was I. My deck was
lying on the table and I happened to be across the room and my glance fell on to it. The
spectator can hold deck, hold the cards to forehead one at a time, and you can catch
the reverse at thirty feet easily. Possibilities.

The other fact is regarding the Banknote designed backs that the Russell Playing Card
Co. puts out. There is a very cute little reverse on these Banknote backs, and the cute
thing is that it is the same on any of the different designs! It all lies in the border of
small circles that surround all cards having a banknote back. Inside each circle is a
small white dot but placed against side of circle. My sketch will illustrate the reverse.
Not as fast as the League wings but a nice little thing to know in case you hit any of
these cards.

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July 25, 1928: RED AND BLACK

A similar procedure to my Impossible Card Reading effect but a simpler effect and
done impromptu.

State that the greatest and most valuable of forces in the world today is the law of
averages. In fact, you will illustrate it, using the red and black cards. Hand pack, ar-
ranged all one way, to anyone and tell him to hold same face up and deal the red cards
into one pile and the blacks into another. Then you pick up the two heaps and dove-
tail shuffle them together at the thumb ends, which reverses them and the blacks lay
one way and the reds the opposite. Hand person the deck to overhand shuffle and
cut, while you walk away (as in my card reading effect), to preclude the use of marked
cards. Tell him to place the top card face up beside the face down pile in case someone
might think you had glimpsed it, and this move gives you the whole key as to which way
the two colors point, and from here on you can name the color of the top card correctly
even though fifteen feet away, and deck has been shuffled and cut by spectator.

A little wrinkle that is perfect misdirection is to have the person cut pack into two
heaps and to hold one while the other is on table. Say: “What color is your top card?”
He tells you. You say: “Well, the top card of the pile on the table is so-and-so.” Make a
guess the first time. You have a fifty-fifty chance of being right and, if so, you have your
bearings. If wrong, continue, as you have them anyway now. Each time person tells you
the color of his top card, you name color of top card on table. On second thought, have
the person give the full name of his card and you tell the color of the cards on table. Do
this correctly throughout and then watch them try to figure some complicated arrange-
ment.

July 25, 1928: ODD AND EVEN

This is just a short effect that could be very well done just before my Alternate Detec-
tion, after the cards had been arranged alternately throughout the pack. Explain that
you are sensitive as to weight and, after deck has been cut several times, hold an open
hand and have someone cut off a bunch, you immediately telling whether they have cut
an odd or even number of cards. They are counted one at a time on to table to prove,
replaced and the effect repeated as often as you wish. To do this, merely note the way
the top card is pointing before the cut. After the cut, note the top card of lower half left
on your hand. If both cards point the same way, the person has cut off an even num-
ber. If the second points the opposite way, the person has cut off an odd number. TO
COUNT: If they have an odd number, say so and, taking cards from him, count them one
at a time into a face-down pile on table to prove. Then replace these on top of deck. If

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cut was EVEN, do exactly the same thing but REVERSE THE ENTIRE COUNTED PACKET
BEFORE replacing it on top of pack.

July 25, 1928: IMPROVEMENT ON THE PAIR DETECTION

It is necessary to have four cards on top and bottom reversed. I have a rather cute and
clean method of doing this right in front of them after taking back the shuffled pack.
I tell them what to do when my back is turned. They are to deal the deck in four face-
down heaps, a card at a time. As I tell them, I illustrated by dealing four face down in
a row and then another four on top of them. I change deck to right hand and gesture
with it at cards as I tell them to deal them like that throughout the entire deck. Then lay
deck on top of the last two, pick them all up and drop it on the third pile, pick these all
up and lay deck on left hand as right picks up the second pile, dropping it on to the first,
and these two together are dropped on top of pack. As deck was reversed in change
from left hand to right, you now have four on top and bottom reversed. Without stop-
ping, though, after this pick-up, give the deck an end-for-end riffle shuffle, leaving the
top and bottom four in their places, and hand deck to person.

July 26, 1926: ANOTHER PRESENTATION OF THE ALTERNATE DETECTION

I find it a rather good thing to have the deck already arranged in alternate position and,
when starting to do something, start out with the ODD OR EVEN trick, then into this
one, which leaves me with the deck all one way and ready for any other.

Cut deck several times and hold on open palm. Turn your head and ask person to give
the deck a cut on your hand. He is then to take the top card and, looking at it, remem-
ber it. Here you say: “Now I am going to look around and, to make sure that I never see
the card you have, either the front or back, just put it back under the top card.” (This
makes it second from top.) Now you give the cards one genuine cut, losing the location
of the noted card, and handing deck to person ask him to cut several times and then to
deal the pack into two face-down heaps, a card at a time. You pay no attention to this
and, when finished, ask him to hand you the half that contains his card. Throwing the
cards into a face-up pile on table, you stop when his card turns up!

The secret lies in the alternate arrangement. You will see that, by putting any top card
second from top, you reverse the two top cards -- that is, reverse their position in the
pack. Now if the deck was merely arranged with the cards pointing alternately through-
out, and the spectator then dealt it into two heaps, a card at a time, this would auto-
matically separate the alternated cards and, when finished, you would have a pile of
twenty-six cards pointing one way and the other pile with all cards pointed the oppo-
site way.

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But because you have just changed around the positions of the two cards on top, when
deck is separated into the two piles there will be one card in each heap pointing the
opposite direction from the rest of the pile. And the one reversed card in the heap he
gives you IS THE NOTED CARD!

Another method of accomplishing this might be to hand deck to party and, after he
cuts, tell him to deal a card face down on table from top and on this deal a second card.
Then to look at them and THINK OF EITHER ONE he wishes, to drop them back on
top of pack, cut several times, deal into two piles and hand you the pile containing his
thought of card. Whichever one he thinks of will be the only reversed card in the packet
he hands you. He can only think of one of two and, as his dealing on to table one at a
time has effectively reversed their positions, one is in each pile and in a reversed po-
sition from the rest. He unknowingly tells you which of the two it is in handing you the
pile, which eliminates the other.

July 26, 1928: ANOTHER REVERSE MOVE

A different move from others described, and it naturally reverses the entire pack for
the replacing of a card. In my AUDIENCE DETECTION I have remarked that the move
of transferring the pack from in front to behind is so natural that even a spectator will
automatically make the deck reversed by doing this. The performer, though, uses one
hand, say the left, on which the deck lies as if for dealing. The right fingers riffle the
outer edge and the spectator places his finger in anywheres and draws a card. Immedi-
ately right drops away from left and left hand is merely put behind you as you turn your
back to spectator and ask him to push his card into deck at any spot. Try this with deck
in hand and you will see that the placing of hand behind you puts the “drawn from” end
against your body and the card must go into the opposite end which is now towards
person.

July 28, 1928: FACES OR BACKS, WHICH?

I think I have found a good way of utilizing the principle explained for the League Cards
where I made the discovery that the twenty-two cards that can be reversed by the face
characteristics corresponded with the one-way back design.

Get twenty of these cards on to top of pack and, if all the backs are one way, you know
the faces must be also. State that you will try a location with twenty cards, and hand
deck to party and ask them to deal off twenty cards.

Have them shuffle them overhand, or you do so, have them take a card, and immedi-
ately you turn back and have them replace their card among the twenty as in the above

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reverse move method. Tell them to take the packet from your hand and to mix them
again. Now keep your back turned or leave room. They are asked to deal the twenty
cards into four rows of five cards each, all face down, and when they have done this
tell them to turn face up any and as many of the cards they wish, leaving some face up
and some face down and not to tell you whether their card is face up or face down. You
enter and, taking their wrist, go through the actions of pulse reading and pick up their
card. Or locate it to suit. The mere fact that both faces and backs of these cards are
reversible, and that the two sides correspond in their pointing, tells all. First look at all
backs and note if any one is reversed. If so, that’s the card. If not, look over the faces
for a reversed card and there you have it. This will puzzle not a few magicians because
of the face up or face down privilege.

DIFFERENT REVERSIBLE BACKS

The following backed cards, made by the U.S. Playing Cards and of the Bicycle brand,
are natural reverse backs:

RIDER BACK -- The reverse being very small but plain if used to it. A small curled line in
the upper left corner a short ways from the top. A white dot is at the end of curl on one
end and the other end is plain. More or less well-known as a reversible back.

EMBLEM BACK -- This consists of a single large bicycle diagonally across the entire
back and is easily told because of the position of the handlebars or foot pedals.

WHEEL BACK -- Nearly the same as the League. In centre of card is a circular design in
which are three wings. A trial shows the reverse.

LEAGUE BACK -- The long distance masterpiece in reverses by means of the three
wings in the centre circle. Very little known.

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