The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Cec]

This is something different. Not sure whether a card trick is a riddle and whether it will attract interest but it is intriguing if you haven't heard it before - it goes better when performed with three or four people but can be performed with just one other person.

Seated at a table you shuffle a pack of cards, get someone to cut the pack then give it a couple more shuffles and spread the whole pack in a fan-shape effect face down on the table. You then name your lucky card and ask one of your guests to touch any card with one finger, but not to look at it, after which you pick it up without exposing it to your guests.

You then name the card your next guest will touch with one finger, again without looking at it and ask them to remember it after which you pick up that card and retain it with the other card you are holding. You repeat this exercise again naming the card your next guest will touch and asking them to remember it as you pick it up and retain it with the other two cards you are holding.

It's now your turn to name the final mystery card which you randomly pick up and retain it with the other three cards.

When each guest is asked to name the card they randomly touched you then correctly place their cards on the table, including your final mystery card, much to their surprise.

Any takers to explain how this is done?

Cec

[udosuk]

So in this trick you have at least one accomplice, right? I take it the accomplice would be the one who you asked to shuffle and cut the cards...

I guess the 1st card you name is gonna be the 4th card which is drawn by yourself, the 2nd named card being the 1st guest's choice, etc... Not sure how you know the card values without looking though... Are those "magic cards" with special marks on the back which are only visible with "magic spectacles"?

[underquark]

So how big is this pack of cards? Is it a single family from Happy Families?

[MCC]

Cec, you say you name your lucky card before anyone ever touches a card, is the final mystery card the lucky card you mentioned


MCC

[Cec]

Sorry for delay to reply.

So in this trick you have at least one accomplice, right? I take it the accomplice would be the one who you asked to shuffle and cut the cards...

No - there's no accomplice. I can see my wording of the card shuffle was ambiguous. I should have been clearer in that after the person cuts the cards I take them back and have a few more shuffles prior to spreading the cards face down on the table.

"..I guess the 1st card you name is gonna be the 4th card which is drawn by yourself, the 2nd named card being the 1st guest's choice, etc.."

Yes, you're correct so far but your next query is probably what most people can't figure out either.

"Not sure how you know the card values without looking though..."

Well, I could be looking but how do I do this without the guests knowing?

So how big is this pack of cards? Is it a single family from Happy Families?

It's a normal pack of cards - trick can be done even using any guest's pack of cards.

Cec, you say you name your lucky card before anyone ever touches a card, is the final mystery card the lucky card you mentioned

In hindsight, my selection of the words "mystery card" were not well chosen but used merely to indicate it was my turn to name another card which is not the initial "Lucky" card. I then randomly select my named card from the fanned group of cards on the table.

Cec

[udosuk]

Well, I could be looking but how do I do this without the guests knowing?

If I learned this trick I wouldn't bother doing shows in parties but would rather host a poker game and earn some money!

[Cec]

"Not sure how you know the card values without looking though..."

Well, I could be looking but how do I do this without the guests knowing?

Before revealing the trick, my apologies to udosuk in giving a somewhat evasive answer to this part of your question. It's much easier to perform this trick than trying to describe it and to avoid further misunderstanding this is how the trick is done.

When doing the final shuffle of the cards you do it in such a way to see and mentally note the card at the bottom of the pack. Talking to the guests to divert their attention while shuffling the cards is suggested if you try this trick yourself.

You now spread the cards face down on the table, say right to left, knowing that the "Lucky" card is the last card at the right end of the fanned pack. You tell your guests what the "Lucky" is and then ask one of the guests to touch any card which you predict will be that "Lucky" card.

You then pick up the guest's selected card (which is of course different to the "Lucky" card) without the guest seeing it, and, whilst discretely noting that card, you again divert their attention by conspicuously hovering your hand above the cards on the table and saying something like "now what will I predict for the next guest's card?" then asking that guest to touch any card which you name from knowing the previous guest's selection.

This procedure continues until noting the third guest's pick-up card - again without the guests seeing this card - which then becomes your pick-up choice as you pick up the "bottom" card initially placed at the right end of the fanned pack. You now place the four cards on the table which you predicted both you and the guests would pick up.

Of course it's always possible that one of the guests touches the "end" card. This makes the trick even better because you don't have to pick up this card. If the first guest happens to select this end card - a most unlikely situation - your guests would be left truly amazed.

Thanks again for the replies.

Cec

[udosuk]

Reminder to self: NEVER invite Cec to a poker game...