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THE 21 CARD ESP TRICK Paul A. Lelekis Trust me when I say “…this is a magician-fooler!” This trick is very easy to do and your efforts can be focused on entertaining your spectators. The very clever principle behind this effect was originally published in “Marlo Without Tears” (which I strongly recommend obtaining) in Marlo’s effect, The Nouveau 21-Card Trick. I also want to credit my friend, Jon Racherbaumer, with a brilliant deceit that he employs when he performs this trick…he fooled me badly with it, many years ago…and I DO mean badly! This is my rendition. EFFECT: The performer has a spectator shuffle the deck, and then she is asked to deal out three piles of 7 cards each…21 cards in total. The spectator then merely peeks at a card and the magician not only finds it in a very unusual way…but he also knows the name of that card! METHOD: This trick is completely impromptu. Have the spectator shuffle the cards and then deal out three piles of 7 cards each as you patter about one of the oldest and best known card tricks, The 21 Card Trick. Square up the three packets of seven cards each and ask the spectator to cut any one of the three packets and to please memorize the card at the face of that cut packet. (See pic 1) Have her show it around for everyone to memorize as you say… “Please show the card at the face of that packet to everyone. Everyone please memorize that card! And whatever you do, do NOT let me see it, because if you give me the chance, I will cheat!”
After she has shown everyone the selection at the face of the packet, then have her replace her cut packet on top of one of the OTHER TWO PACKETS…her choice. (See pic 2) Then combine the other two packets (the ones that don’t contain the selection!) and place that combined packet on TOP of the 3rd packet that DOES contain the selection. (See pic 3 & 4) NOTE: It is a good idea, when combining the two packets (the packets that don’t contain the selection) to just sloppily push them all together. (Pic 3)
Now as haphazard as this all appears, the selection will always be the 14th card from the top of the combined packet! Give the packet a quick false cut such as a Thompson Triple Cut or a 1-2-3 Cut or any type of false cut that preserves the order of the packet. Placing the Cards Out in the 21 Card Trick Order: You will now begin placing the cards out in the “familiar” 21 Card Trick order - EXCEPT place the cards out FACE DOWN! In other words, begin making three rows with seven cards per row, placing them out, face down. Start by dealing a card from the top of the packet, to your left. Then place the second card just to the right of the first card as if dealing. Deal the third card, just to the right of the second card, all face down!
You have now started dealing out a row of three cards. Continue with the 4th card being placed on top of the first card, the 5th card on top of the second card and the 6th card on top of the third. The cards are dealt in an overlapping fashion so that all of the cards are visible, dealing them all face-down! (See pic 5) You are just making three rows of seven cards per column, dealing them all face-down, going from your left to your right. Continue placing cards onto each row, dealing rather rapidly, until you reach the 14th card which is the selection. When you reach the 14th card, stop, and hold that card, as you say, “Which one of these three rows is your card in?” which doesn’t make any sense, since they’re all face down! As you say the above line, use that 14th card (the selection!) to point to each of the three rows…turning it so that you can see what card it is. Memorize the chosen card, the 7 of Diamonds, as in the pic. (See pic 5)
This may seem bold…but NO ONE will have any idea that you are looking at the face of that card. And even if they did…they won’t realize that you know it is the selection. Let’s say the selection is the 7 of Diamonds.
O.K. - you’ve have placed out 13 cards, all face down, into three rows. You’ve stopped at the 14th card and use it to point to the rows as you glimpse the 7 of Diamonds and say the above patter. “Oh wait…I’m sorry…I haven’t laid out all of the cards yet!” This again seems real stupid…but you keep on dealing the cards out until all 21 cards are laid, face down, into three rows of seven cards each. Then act as though a “light bulb” just turned on in your head, and say, “Wait a minute…I’m sorry…they’re all face down! Let me pick up these cards and try again - except this time with the cards face UP!” Keep this “stupid” act up! Believe me…the spectators will be quiet and/or giggling because they don’t know WHAT the heck you’re doing! They are in for a BIG surprise! NOTE: I would advise you to set the cards up as above, and then continue with the cards in hand while you follow the procedure below, to better understand what is happening…it’s very easy to do. Gathering up the three rows of face-down cards: Gathering up the cards must now appear very haphazard! You need to scoop up the cards as though you’re mixing them all up…EXCEPT for the top three, face-down cards of the middle row! Remember…the 3rd card from the top in the middle row, (closest to you) is the selection, the 7 of Diamonds.
As you gather the cards up (very haphazardly!), just scoop them all together making sure that the top three cards of the middle row, ARE ON TOP of the packet as you “smoosh” them all together. This is easy to do…and it will GREATLY enhance the final revelation! It will appear that you have made a real mess of everything! Square up the packet of 21 cards…the 7 of Diamonds will now be third from the top of the combined packet…but it will appear as though it is “lost”. NO ONE will know that you not only know where the selection is (third from the top of the packet), but what it is! You are in a very good place! Square the 21-card packet up and say “Sorry for the mistake - let’s start over…first let me give the cards a good shuffle.” Here’s how I shuffle them…overhand shuffle, running the first three cards, and then continue shuffling until exhausted. (Not you - the cards!) The 7 of Diamonds will be third from the bottom. Then overhand shuffle three more cards and throw the rest of the packet on top. The 7 of Diamonds will now be 6th from the bottom. Follow with a false cut. The packet will now be set up for you to finish with a BANG! “O.K. - let’s continue. I am going to again deal out three rows of cards and I want you to ONLY NOTE where your card is! Don’t tell me out loud which card is yours!”
IMPORTANT! Note that the selection, the 7 of Diamonds, is now 16th from the top of the facedown packet of 21 cards! As you say the above patter, deal out three rows of seven cards each, but turn each card face up this time, as you create the three rows of cards. Keep track of which card is the 16th card (it will be the 6th card down, in the first column on your left). As soon as you get to the 16th card (7 of Diamonds), DEAL IT FACE DOWN onto that 1st column! (See pic 6)
DO NOT vary the pace of the dealing process…deal the 7D, face down at the same speed as the other cards - but DON’T react to it being face down! This is how you can mess with peoples’ heads! Now…with a straight face, say “O.K. Ma’am, which row is your selection in?” She’ll smile from ear to ear, or look very confused because she doesn’t see her card, and there is one card, face-down! Then the magician says, “Oh no! You don’t see it? You didn’t pick the 7 of Diamonds, did you?!” Be SURE to announce the 7 of Diamonds before you turn the 7 of Diamonds, face up!
This will be a double-shocker. Not only did you know WHICH card was her selection…but you also knew the NAME of her selection, even though you had “never even looked” at the cards…as far as they know. In addition, the spectator had shuffled the deck and dealt all 21 cards out herself - this trick WILL even fool magicians! Not only did you find her card from a shuffled mess…but you knew the NAME of her card without “ever” looking at it! Play this at your next magic meeting…and watch the looks! This effect is found in my e-book, OPENERS & CLOSERS 3. All three e-books in my Openers & Closers 1, 2, and 3, are some of my best sellers…very strong magic for entertainers!