VANISHING RABBIT

Orignal author: Unknown

Spectator does it all

EFFECT: The magician asks the spectator whether he knows any card tricks. Whatever the spectator answers, the magician says "Well, heres a great trick, only YOU'RE going to perform it." The spectator is handed a deck of cards and asked to hold them with the cards facing the magician, the backs towards himself. The magician picks a card which the spectator removes and places on the table, never looking at it. The spectator after some manipulation, ends up with two piles of cards on the table. The top cards on each pile are turned over, and one reveals the value of the selected card while the other reveals the suit.

 

THE TRICK: This trick is actually not too difficult, but the effect is astonishing because the magician never actually handles the deck. The only real skills necessary are good verbal communications and misdirection.

After the spectator shuffles the deck, have him fan them in front of his face with the backs of the cards towards himself. Tell him to start fanning at the top of the deck and continue to the bottom. Meanwhile, you watch for the card that has the same value as the top card and the same suit as the card second from top. Note: If these two cards have the same value or the same suit, the trick won't work. In this case, ask the spectator whether he cut the cards. When he says no, tell him to cut the deck and start over again.

When you find that particular card, touch it and have him pull it out and place it on the table face down. Then tell him to think of a number and to count that many of into a neat pile on the table. (This puts the two pointer cards on the bottom of the pile.) Have him discard the rest of the cards in his hands, pick up the pile on the table, and deal the cards alternately into two piles. (The two pointer cards are now on top of each of the new piles.) Remember that the last card he deals will show the value (ace, 2, 3, etc) of the selected card while the next-to-last card (the top one on the other pile) will show the suit. Explain to the spectator that if he has been concentrating on the card on the table, he will have subconsciously picked two cards that will respectively reveal the value and suit of the card that you the magician have randomly selected. Flip the three cards to reveal that this is so.

THE END