Three Card Mystery: Remote Performance Edition

What’s New in This Version?

I’ve updated the Three Card Mystery trick to support remote performance via a phone call. Here are the key improvements:

1. Stacked Deck Support

Instead of using random cards, the trick now uses deck stacks. By default, it uses the DAO stack, but you can choose from 12 different popular stacks including:

• DAO Stack (default)
• Aronson Stack
• Mnemonica (Tamariz)
• Si Stebbins (3-step and 4-step)
• Eight Kings
• Stay Stack
• Nikola System
• And more!

Each time you perform the trick, it deals the next three cards from your chosen stack, allowing you to perform it multiple times in a row without resetting.

2. Individual Card Reveals

Previously, all three cards flipped over at once when you clicked. Now, each card must be clicked individually to reveal it. This is crucial for remote performance because:

• The spectator clicks cards one at a time on their screen
• They tell you what each card is as it’s revealed
• Since you know the stack order, you know all three cards and can deduce their selection using the trick’s logic

3. Shuffle Button Logic

The reveal phase has been improved:

• Cards cannot be clicked to reveal until the shuffle button has been pressed at least once
• Once any card is revealed, the shuffle button disappears
• This prevents accidentally revealing cards before the spectator has shuffled properly

4. Mobile-Optimized

The cards are now sized at 80×115 pixels with reduced gaps, ensuring all three cards fit comfortably on a phone screen in portrait mode without wrapping to multiple rows.

How to Select Different Stacks (For Magicians)

When you share the trick URL with your spectator, you can specify which stack to use with a query string parameter:

https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=0   (DAO Stack - default)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=1   (Osterlind)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=2   (Bicycle New Deck Order)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=3   (Numerical Order)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=4   (Aronson)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=5   (Stay Stack)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=6   (Si Stebbins 4-step)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=7   (Si Stebbins 3-step)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=8   (Eight Kings)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=9   (Nikola)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=10  (Joyal)
https://robertjwallace.com/threecard/?s=11  (Mnemonica/Tamariz)

If you don’t specify a stack (or use an invalid number), it defaults to the DAO stack.

Performance Tips for Remote Shows

1. Know Your Stack: If performing with a spectator directly then eithermemorize at least the first 15-20 cards of your chosen stack so you can perform the trick 5-6 times in a row, or use a stack that you can compute the next cards from the previous. If performing over a phone the simplest solution is to have a printout of your stack you can refer to.
2. The First Three Cards:
   • DAO Stack: A♠, 2♣, 5♦ (middle card is 2♣)
   • Aronson Stack: J♠, K♣, 5♣ (middle card is K♣)
   • Mnemonica: 4♣, 2♥, 7♦ (middle card is 2♥)
3. During Performance:
   • Share your screen or send the URL to the spectator
   • You know which three cards are being shown
   • The middle card is your key card for the trick
   • After they select, shuffle, and reveal cards, use the trick’s logic to divine their selection
4. The Logic (for those who know the trick) refer to the previous post for more information:
   • If the first revealed card IS the original middle card → that’s their selection
   • If the first revealed card is NOT the original middle card → the selection is the third card (the one that’s neither the middle card nor the revealed card)

This version transforms Bob Hummer’s classic into a powerful remote performance piece, combining traditional card magic with modern technology!