SELECTED
By Richard Robinson

The spectator shuffles the deck. The magician asks the spectator to point to various locations on the table. As the spectator points the magician cuts a small pile of cards off the deck and places the pile at that point.

The magician tells the spectator to point to one pile of cards and then to look at the top card of that pile.

The magician then collects up the piles to reassemble the deck, again asking the spectator to point out piles one after another.

Asking the spectator to concentrate on the selected card, the magician removes three cards from the deck and places them face down on the table.

The spectator is now asked to point at one of the three cards. The magician announces that that card has the same suit as the selected card. Turning it over the spectator agrees that this is the case. The spectator points to another card, the magician says that that card has the same value as the selected card. Upon turning over the card again the magician proves to be correct.

Selected uses an unprepared deck. No sleights are involved.

Handling & Routine

Ask the spectator to shuffle the deck. As you take the deck back from the spectator you must glimpse the bottom (face) card of the deck and remember what it is. An easy way to do this is to take the deck in both hands by the short ends, bottom of the deck toward you, and tap them on the table to square them up at the same time looking at the bottom card.

Holding the deck back up in the left hand, cut seven or eight cards off the deck and ask the spectator where the pile should be placed on the table. Continue this until you have six piles of cards on the table. Remember where the last pile is placed.

Ask the spectator to point to one of the piles and to peek at the top card of that pile. Once you see the spectator's hand going toward the pile, look away to make it obvious that you don't want to see what the spectator does. With a large audience you can ask the spectator to show the card to everyone before returning it to the top of the pile.

If the spectator has chosen to look at the top card of the pile whose bottom card is your locator card, then ask the spectator to take the pile, give the cards a cut and complete the cut.

If the spectator's card is on the top of any other pile, pick up the pile whose bottom card is your locator card and place that pile on top of the selected pile.

In either case, your locator card is now directly above the selected card.

Continue to reassemble the deck, asking the spectator to point to piles as you do so.

Once the deck is reassembled in your hands you can give it a couple of cuts or a false shuffle, although there must be no pause at this point. The spectators should not have the chance to consider your actions until later.

Fan the cards toward you. Find your locator card and identify the card to the right of it which is the selected card.

Now remove three cards from the deck. Two of them must be of the same suit as the selected card and their values must add up to the value of the selected card. The third card must have the same value as the selected card but obviously not the same suit.

Place these three card face down on the table. You must remember which is which.

There are now two possible revelations. Ask the spectator to point to one of the cards.

If it is the same value card push it forward, but do not turn it over. Ask the spectator to point to another card. Push that one forward as well and place the remaining card back in the deck.

If on the other hand the spectator chooses the two same suit cards, push them forward and place the remaining card back into the deck.

The revelation sequence should now be that you hesitate for the moment, then announce that one of the cards has the same suit as the card selected by the spectator. Turn that card face up. You then announce that the other card (if it is a same value card) has the same value. If on the other hand the remaining face down card is a same suit card, turn it face up and point out the suit, then point out that the two values added together result in the value of the card the spectator selected.

Performance Notes

The nice thing about this effect is that it can be done in an off-hand manner under the most difficult of performing conditions and everyone watching will be under the impression that the spectator made all the choices up to the final revelation. The result is very puzzling.