Stack the Cards

Original Author: Unknown

First, deal 3 columns of cards with 5 cards in each column (5 cards up and down). Then find their card the easy way. Keep the row with the spectator's card between the other two rows. Once you have found the row with the spectator's card, put the other two rows into the deck and ask the person to cut off half the deck. (Editor's note: For a good "easy way," see the instructions for "Rising Card" below.)

Pick up either half-deck and put the five cards on it one at a time, placing them so that the first, third (the selected card), and fourth cards project about an inch beyond one end of the deck, and the second and fourth cards project about an inch beyond the other end. Then place the other half-deck on top, so that three cards stick out of one end of the deck and two cards out of the other.

Grip the cards by the sides so that two cards stick out of the top, and three out of the bottom. Push them down onto a hard surface so that the bottom cards are pushed up into the deck. This will the two cards at the top to stick up higher. Flip the cards over and repeat with the two cards at the bottom. The card that pops out will be the spectator's card. Whew =)

Variation Courtesy of: Tristan Glenn (theglenn@ix.netcom.com)

1. Deal out five piles with five cards in each pile.

2. Tell the spectator to pick a pile. Pick up the pile and tell her (or him) to look at any specific card and memorize it.

3. Put the pile down.

4. Pick up two of the other piles. Put her pile on top of those two, and put the two remaining piles on top. Her pile will be the middle one.

5. Deal out the cards in the OPPOSITE order.

6. Show her the cards in one pile and ask if she sees her card. Do this until you find her pile again.

7. Combine two of the piles into a single stack.

8. Pick up the top card of her pile and place it on the stack so that it projects about one inch beyond the end. Pick up the next card from her pile and place it on the other so that its end projects half an inch in the opposite direction. Continue with the other three cards in her pile so that the third card sticks out an inch at one end, the fourth card sticking out a half-inch at the other end, and so on.

9. Place the remaining two piles on top of the rest of the cards.

10. Hold up the deck so that three cards stick out of the top and two cards out of the bottom. Tap the three cards down until they're flush.

11. Tap the bottom two cards up until they're flush.

12. One card will rise above the rest. This is her card!!!!

Variation Courtesy of: (pho@globaldialog.com)

First shuffle the deck. Then have somebody randomly pick three cards out of the deck. Have him (or her) look at the cards and memorize one of them, not paying any attention to the other two. The other two just act as fodder.

Deal two cards onto the table face down. Have him put one of his three cards face down on top of those two. Deal four cards on top. Have him put another of his cards face down on those. Deal four more cards on top. Have him put his final card on top. Deal two more cards. So the order should be: 1, 2, [card], 1, 2, 3, 4, [card], 1, 2, 3, 4, [card], 1, 2

From the stack of cards you just made, pull five cards off the top and fan them in front of the person. Ask if he sees his card. If not, discard these, show him the next five cards and ask again. If he again says no, use the remaining five cards.

Now you should have five cards with his card in the middle (hopefully he won't catch on to the fact that it's obvious it's the middle card. He probably won't). Take the full deck that you set aside earlier. Cut off half the deck. Put the first of the five cards onto the half-deck you are holding, but not square with the other cards. Place it so that about half the card sticks up beyond the rest at the end. Take the next of the five cards and put it on the deck so that it is square with the deck (not with the card that sticks up). Put the next card on the deck so that it sticks up like the first card, the next card square with the deck, and the last so that it sticks up. So it should go: up, square, up, square, up. Make sure the three up cards stick out about halfway beyond the rest of the cards.

Put the other half of the cut deck on top of the five cards you just arranged, squared with the half-deck below.

Now the tricky part. Hold the deck in your hand by the sides so that the three projecting cards point down. Hit the end of the deck on the table--not too hard, but not too light--so that two cards pop out of the other end. Flip the deck around and hit the two cards on the table. The card that remains sticking out is the card that they picked. This is more of a math trick, but it does look very impressive.

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