More Key Card Tricks

A Meeting of the Minds

Still another card trick in which the key card is distant from the card which it keys is this impressive feat, which may well pass as a demonstration of genuine mind reading. [Note: This trick demonstrates the versatility of the key card principle, where the locator card doesn’t need to be adjacent to the selected card – RJW]

  1. Note the bottom card of the pack for use as a key card, and shuffle it to the top in the course of an overhand shuffle; then spread the cards from hand to hand, asking someone to remove a group of cards from the centre and leaving to chance the number he will take. Square the remainder of the pack and place it to one side.
  2. Take the spectator’s packet of cards and pass them one by one from your left hand to your right hand, faces toward the spectator, asking him to think of one of them. Turn your head away as you do this but silently count the cards so that you know how many there are in the packet. [Note: The secret counting is crucial – this number becomes the mathematical key to locating the chosen card later – RJW]
  3. Hand the packet to the spectator, then move away a few paces and turn your back. Instruct him to remove his card and place it face downwards to one side, then shuffle the remainder of the packet and replace it on the deck and consequently upon your key card. Finally have him place his selected card on top of all.
  4. Have him cut off about two-thirds of the pack, then place the cut to one side; take the lower portion, shuffle it, and place it on top of the other portion; make one complete cut.
  5. Returning, take the pack and recapitulate what has been done in some such words as these: “You will remember that you have thought of a card and replaced it in the pack after shuffling and cutting. You are the only person present who knows the name of the card of which you are thinking. If you doubt this, say so at this time. You are satisfied that no one else can know the name of your card? Good. Therefore it is impossible that a confederate could transmit its name to me. I assure you that I have never found it necessary to employ confederates and would find it distasteful, but this trick is so amazing that some people afterwards think that this may have been the case. I mention it only to forestall such criticism. [Note: This patter addresses common spectator theories about how magic tricks work, preemptively defending against accusations of stooges or confederates – RJW]

“Others have claimed that I do not really succeed in the feat, but that the spectator who thinks of the card, through courtesy and a kindly desire not to embarrass me, agrees that the card I show is his when it is not. For this reason I shall ask you, sir, to write the name of the card of which you are thinking on a slip of paper or an envelope, being careful that no one sees the writing. In this way all of us will know whether I fail or succeed.” [Note: Having the spectator write down their card eliminates the possibility of them changing their mind or being polite about a wrong guess – RJW]

  1. When this has been done, continue: “Finally, some persons have claimed that I study the expression of the person who thought of the card and by this means learn which is the proper card. To forestall this criticism, I shall turn my head away from you, sir, so that I cannot see you. Under these conditions, which are the fairest that I can devise, I shall show you the cards and when you see your card I will ask you to think ‘That is my card,’ and I will attempt to pick up your thought.” Turn your back and hold the cards well above your right shoulder so that everyone can see them. Push the cards off the face of the pack one by one with the left thumb, taking them in the right hand and allowing sufficient time for each card to be seen by the spectators. When your key card comes into view silently count the next card as one and count off as many cards as you counted in Step No. 2. The last of these is the spectator’s card.
  2. “I think I have your thought,” you say, holding the card aloft. “This is your card!” The spectator acknowledges that this is so, and you have him hand the slip on which he wrote its name to someone, who reads it aloud and thus certifies to the success of your experiment. Sincerely presented, the feat is most impressive. [Note: The presentation emphasizes the impossibility of the feat while systematically eliminating potential explanations, making the magic appear genuine – RJW]

The Non-Poker Voice

We have been considering the use of a single card as a key card which reveals the position of a chosen card, and now we shall describe still another use to which this stratagem may be placed.

Preparation. Remove from the pack and pocket any four cards, one of which is a heart. Place six cards of the heart suit at the top of the pack and the remaining six at the bottom. [Note: This creates a mathematical certainty – with hearts distributed at top and bottom, the dealing procedure will create the necessary setup – RJW]

Procedure. The steps are as follows:

  1. Assert that you are convinced that there is no such thing as a poker voice; that, no matter how a person may school himself, he cannot keep the inflections which betray the inner emotion from his voice. You claim further that you can infallibly determine which of a number of cards a person may be thinking of merely by listening to his voice as he calls out the names of the cards of a pack.
  2. To offer proof of your assertion, hand someone the prepared pack of cards, turn your back and walk away as you request the spectator to deal six piles of cards, one by one from left to right in turn, thus secretly placing a heart at the top and bottom of each pile. This done, instruct him to remove any card from any one of the piles, show it to the others present, and drop it at the top of one of the other five piles. Next have him gather the piles in any order he likes, without disarranging the cards, and cut the pack two or three times, completing each cut. When this has been done there will be six pairs of cards of the heart suit, side by side, spread at intervals throughout the pack. Between one of these pairs there will be an indifferent card, and this will be the chosen card.
  3. Instruct the spectator to take the cards in his hands and, while you still have your back turned, to call out the names of the cards one by one. Warn him that although he may attempt to make his voice expressionless, you will detect the name of his card from the tone of his voice when he names it.
  4. As he calls out the names of the cards, pretend to listen attentively. Whenever he names cards of the heart suit, note if a card of another suit intervenes; for example, he may call, “Nine of spades, ten of diamonds, four of hearts, seven of spades, nine of hearts.” The intervening card, in this case the seven of spades, will be his card. Let him call off a half dozen cards more and then stop him. “You have already named your card. That’s right, isn’t it?” you say. “Yes.” “A few moments ago, when you named the spade suit, your voice quivered almost imperceptibly. Your card is a spade. That’s correct?” “It is.” “When you named the value of this spade card, your throat tightened. Do you remember? You were afraid that I would know that the seven of spades was the card. That’s correct, is it not?” He agrees that it is. You say: “A word of caution, sir. Be careful in poker games!” Take the pack from him, shuffle it absent-mindedly, and place it to one side, thus destroying any possible clues to your method. [Note: The post-trick shuffle is essential to destroy evidence of the setup, and the poker warning adds a humorous finish while reinforcing the premise – RJW]

Intuition with Cards

The key cards which have been discussed thus far have been those in which it is necessary to see the faces of the cards. There are many tricks in which this is not desirable, and we shall now explain how the key-card principle may be used when only the backs of the cards are seen. [Note: This represents an important evolution in key card methodology, allowing for more deceptive applications – RJW]

Using a pack with a white border, take a soft pencil and place two small, light dots on the back of the card at the upper left and lower right corners (Fig. 47).


You can find this card easily and quickly in running through the pack, for you know what to look for. Your audience will never notice the dots. [Note: This marking system was revolutionary for its time – modern marking systems are far more sophisticated, but this simple method remains effective – RJW]

The dotted key card may be used in place of the face key card in many tricks, and we leave it to your ingenuity to make use of the idea. The following feat is an example of the use to which it can be put:

  1. Let us say that you are about to perform with a borrowed pack. Surreptitiously remove any two cards and place them in your pocket, then find an excuse to leave the room for a moment. Place the key pencil dots on the back of one of the cards and write your initials on the face of the other. Remember the name of the latter card. Returning to the room, replace the cards at a propitious moment, with the dotted key card at the bottom and the initialled card just above it. [Note: The use of a borrowed deck adds credibility, though secretly preparing it requires misdirection and timing – RJW]
  2. Riffle shuffle the pack without disturbing the two cards at the bottom. Place the pack on the table and have a spectator cut off a portion from the top. Take this packet and invite him to take the other packet.
  3. Ask him to turn his back to you and to remove any card from the middle of his packet and place it face upwards at the top. Tell him that you will do the same thing and that both of you must synchronize your actions and thoughts if the test is to succeed. Instruct him to write his initials on the face of his card while you do the same with your card. Pretend, for the benefit of the others present, to initial your card but actually write nothing. The spectator, on the other hand, actually initials his card.
  4. Next ask him to turn his card face downwards on his packet as you do the same thing with yours. Finally have him make one complete cut, as you also make a cut. His cut places his initialled card one card below the dotted key card.
  5. Turn to face him and request him to visualize his card, explaining that you are forming a mental picture of your card. “This is an experiment in sympathetic action,” you comment, “and if it is to succeed you must conscientiously try to make it succeed by obeying your first impulse from now on.” Spread your cards face downwards on the table. “I will ask you to remove any card from my packet. Place your forefinger on any card and draw it from the spread.” When he has done this, continue, “Now take that card and, without looking at it, thrust it in the middle of the cards you hold.” [Note: The “sympathetic action” presentation elevates this from a mere card trick to an apparent psychic experiment – RJW]
  6. This done, tell him that you will remove one card from his packet. Take his cards and spread them ribbonwise, face downwards, from left to right. Pass your forefinger over this spread of cards, find the dotted key and drop your finger on the card to its left. This will be his initialled card. “I will take this card.” Draw the card from the spread, thrust it face downwards in the middle of the cards you hold, without showing its face.
  7. “Now,” you say, “if our thoughts have been attuned, you have drawn my card, the four of spades–” (here you name the card you initialled) “–and I have drawn yours. Let’s see if this is the case.” Spread your cards face upwards and push out the card which he initialled. Have him spread his packet and he finds the card with your initials!

Sliding Key Card

We have reserved to the last one of the finest and most deceptive methods of placing a key card above a chosen card. You will see at once that it can be put to use in some of the preceding tricks, but we thought it wisest to give you this method last, leaving it to your ingenuity to put it to good use.

In this sleight the key card is moved to any part of the pack at which it may be required. Let us suppose that you secretly glimpse the bottom card and you are about to use it as a key card.

  1. Execute an overhand shuffle, retaining the bottom card in position. Spread the cards between your hands, and have a card freely selected. [Note: The overhand shuffle that retains the bottom card is a fundamental technique that allows the performer to maintain control while appearing to thoroughly mix the cards – RJW
  2. Square the deck and overhand shuffle again in the same way while the spectator is noting his card.
  3. Spread the cards between your hands for the return of the chosen card, but in doing so, with the tips of your right fingers underneath the spread, slide the bottom card to the right so that it lies underneath the spread of the other cards and is hidden by them (Fig. 48).
  4. Extend your hands, with the cards spread thus, toward the spectator and invite him to thrust his card into the deck. When he does this and the card is partially inserted, drop your left thumb on it, hold it and the cards in your left hand, and with your right hand remove all the cards to the right of it, including the key card. Thus the key card becomes the bottom card of the packet in your right hand.
  5. Drop the right-hand packet on those in the left hand, and you have your key card above the selected card. Square the deck, and the most critical observer will be satisfied that he has replaced his card fairly and that you cannot know its position among the others. [Note: I do this a bit differently. I start by overhand shuffling the bottom card to a position near the top of the deck and taking a finger break below it. Then I start to spread the cards for a selection. When I come to the break I push the key card under the right hand cards. I continue to spread letting the key ride below the spread. When the spectator touches a card I outjog the selection and feed the key card above it. I raise the deck so the spectator can see their selection. Then I slowly and fairly close up the deck. – RJW]