The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims. Volume 2 (of 2)Steinmetz, Andrew
History
The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims. Volume 2 (of 2)
Steinmetz, Andrew
Gambling
Make up the four sevens of a pack, and take seven other cards, no matter
which, for another lot, and, presenting both lots, you say:--Here are
two lots totally dissimilar; nevertheless, there is one of seven, and
I declare it will be the first touched by any party present. Of course,
when touched, you at once prove your words by exhibiting either the
sevens or the seven cards--taking care to mix the cards into the pack
immediately to prevent detection.
12. Infallible method for guessing any number that a party has thought
of.
Take the first ten cards of a pack of 52 cards. Set out these ten cards
as shown below, so that the point A should correspond to the ace, and to
1--the point F to the card representing the 6--and E to the 10.
2 3 4
B C D
1 A--------E 5
10 K--------F 6
I H G
9 8 7
Thus prepared, you request a party to think of a card, and then you tell
him to touch any number he pleases, requesting him to name it aloud.
Then, adding the whole number of the cards to the number touched, you
tell him to count backwards to himself, beginning with the card touched,
and giving to that card the number of the one thought of. By counting in
this way, the party will at length count the entire number on the card
thought of, which you will thus be able to designate with certainty.
Example:--Suppose the card thought of is G, marking 7; again, supposing
the one touched to be D, equal to 4; you add to this number the entire
number of cards, which is, in this case, 10, which will make 14. Then,
making the party count this sum, from the number touched, D to C, B, A,
and so on, backwards, so that in commencing to count the number thought
of, 7 on D, the party will continue, saying, 8 on C, 9 on B, 10 on A, 11
on K, 12 on I, 13 on H, and end with counting 14 on G; and you will thus
discover that the number thought of is 7, which corresponds to G.
Of course the party counts TO himself, and only speaks to designate the
point on which he stops, namely, G in this example.
This trick may be performed with any number of cards--as few as six, or
as many as fifteen. Then you must always add to the number the total of
the cards used. The trick will be much more interesting and striking
if you turn the cards face downwards, only trusting to your memory to
retain the order of the numbers.
Of course, the letters are only used to facilitate the explanation. The
cards really form a sort of circle, beginning at 1 or the ace on the
left, and then continuing with the 2, the 3, the 4, the 5, and so on, to
the 10 below the ace; and, by necessity, the party must end his counting
with the very card he thought of, beginning from the one he happens to
point out.
13. The card that cannot be found.
Take any number of cards and spread them out fan-like in your hand,
faces fronting the spectators.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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