A Mysterious Change A very pretty effect may be obtained by the introduction of the following trick. The several novel sleights used, however, should be thoroughly practiced before an attempt is made to perform the trick in public. After a card, say the King of Hearts, has been chosen and returned to the pack, the pack is given a False Shuffle (leaving this card on the top of the pack). The conjurer then pretends to be able to pick out the chosen card by running the fingers over the top edge of the pack, slightly ruffling it, and removing the two cards on the top (our King of Hearts and another card, say the Ace of Hearts). These two cards must be held in such a way that the spectators think them to be one card only. For this purpose both the cards are held slightly convex toward the palm, the thumb at the lower end and the fingers at the upper end of the cards. Thus exhibiting the cards, which to the company appear to be only one (the Ace of Hearts), the performer asks if this is the selected card. Upon being told that it is not, the performer replaces the card in the middle of the pack held by the other hand, allowing it to protrude nearly two inches. This is what really takes place: The pack itself is held in the extended left hand, the thumb of which rests on one side of the cards, the first finger at the upper end and the remaining fingers at the other side of the pack, facing the palm. In the act of replacing the cards with the right hand, the position of the fingers holding it is changed, the card being now held by its upper end only, the thumb and first finger resting on the back of the card and the other fingers on the face side or bottom. With the left thumb the pack is slowly ruffled and the card in the right hand inserted sideways. While this is being done, the second finger of the right hand pushes the lower one of the two cards, the Ace of Hearts, towards the pack. The first finger of the left hand completes the work of imperceptibly pushing the card home, leaving the selected card to protrude from the rest of the pack. When properly executed this sleight is absolutely invisible, being shielded altogether by the upper one of the two cards (the selected King of Hearts, although the spectators really believe it to be the Ace of Hearts). The performer once more asks whether the protruding card is not the selected one and is told that the selected card has not been shown. The performer then takes the projecting card and places it face downwards on the extended hand of the spectator, who is told to breathe upon it. Turning the card over, it has apparently been transformed into the desired one. Home | Card Tricks | Card Trick Skills | The Pass | The Force | Changes False Shuffling | The Glimpse | Card Palm | Card Sleights Copyright © 2003-2006 HowToDoCardTricks.com. All rights reserved worldwide.   You can quickly get a copy of every trick on this web site in a downloadable PDF book. That's over 40 classic card tricks to amaze and astound your friends, all stored on your computer to refer to at any time! Just click the link below to get your own copy today for just $5.