Amador ledger., 1903-11-20
TRICKS WITH CARDS.
SkllLFULLY DONE, THEY WILL AMUSE
AND MYSTIFY YOUR GUESTS.


With Its Back Turned Toward You.
The Thirty-One Trick-A Clever
Way to Tell Drawn Cards.
This undoubtedly is one of the best
illusions performed with cards, as it
not only brings the whole pack into
use, but is also legitimately founded
upon arithmetical principles. By this
trick you are able to tell the whole pack
of cards with the backs toward you;
also to sort them after being cut any
number of times in the mere act Of
dealing them out in a row. 1t is per-
formed thus
A pack of cards being distributed on
the table, with their faces uppermost,
they are picked up one by one in the
following order: Q, 4, /, 7, 5, king, 8, 10,
knave, 8, 2, queen. Repeat the same Sc
ries of every thirteen cards. Four times
over will of course complete the pack
That the above order may be remem-
bered, the following words are used as
a guide to the memory and they are
intended to enumerate the cards:
6
The sixty-fourth regiment beats the
Z king
seventy fifth; up starts the king, with
10 3 knave
eight thousand and three men and
8 queen
ninety-two women.
Hence this trick is said to be done
"by wordsr'
The pack being arranged, it may be
handed to any of the company "to cut"
with the proviso that this operation be
done whist fashion-that is, by taking
portion of the cards off in a mass
and placing the lower division ON what
was before the upper one. This done
fairly and properly, it may be repeated
any number of times, as the audience
may think fit. You then take the pack
and by feint catch sight of the bot
tom card. Having learned this Gt may
be done at a glance, in a second of
time), you have the key to the whole
trick. Then commence it by dealing
the cards out in the ordinary way, but
in thirteen heaps. Having dealt out
thirteen, begin again and cover them;
then go on as before. When finished
there will be of course four in each
heap. Now every heap will contain all
four of the same denomination, as the
four knaves in one heap, the four sew
ems in another, and SO on. The thir
teenth, or last heap, will be of the same
denomination as the one at the bottom
which you have contrived to see, and,
according to whatever that card is, all
the suits will follow, but in the reverse
order, as the words above indicate.
Thus suppose the eight was the bottom
card. Then on dealing them out they
would be in the following order: King,
3, Z, 1, 4, 6, queen, 2, 8, knave, g. 10, s,
and you begin reciting in the mind the
words you use from that passage in the
sentence, working from right to left,
which the card indicates in the above
You would say:
8 10 3 knaye
Eight thousand and three men and
queen g
ninety-two women; sixty-fourth
1 5
regiment beats the seventy-fifth; up
king
starts the king with, etc. Here, of
course, is your starting point.
The same principle holds good what
ever the card may be. Any person ask
ing for card, all four of every suit
may be found in the same heap and
can be quickly turned up as soon as re-
quired with little practice, to the ut
ter establishment and wonder of the
company.
By taking up the cards in the same
order as before, but all of one suit, you
may easily discover the position of any
one card that is demanded.
A fine trick with cards is called 'thir-
ty-one." 1t is played with the first six
of each suit, the aces in one row, the
deuces in another, the threes in anoth-
er, then the fours, fives and skies, all
laid in rows. The object now will be
to turn down cards alternately and en-
deavor to make 81 points by so turning
or as near to it as possible without
overrunning 1t, and the one who turns
down card the spots of which make
him 81 or so near it that the other can
not turn down one without overrun-
ming it wins. This trick is very deceiv
ing, as all other tricks are, and re-
Quires much practice to be well under
stood. The chief point is to count so as
to end with the following numbers
viz, 3, 10, II or "a. For example, we
will suppose it your privilege to COM
mence with 8 and your adversary
would add 6, which would make 1t 9.
1t would then be your policy to add 1
and make 10. Then, no matter what
number he adds, he cannot prevent
you counting II, which number gives
you the command of the trick. We will
suppose he adds 6 and makes 16. Then
you add 1 and make II; then he adds 6
and makes %, you add 1 and make "a.
Then he cannot possibly add any num-
ber to count 81, as the highest number
he can add is 6, which would only
count 80, so that you can easily add the
remaining 1, or ace, and make 81.
There are, however, many variations to
the trick.
A clever way Is here given in which
to discern one or more drawn cards.
Turn unperceived the bottom card of
pack face upward; then let several of
the company draw a card. Reverse the
pack rapidly, so that the bottom is now
the top card, and thus all the other
cards are turned face upward unseen
by the spectators.
Hold the pack firmly In your fingers