Basil Horfitz - Mental Magic IV

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Note the 3 wings at the centre of the design The Mental Magick of Basil Horwitz ‘*lume 4

the cards are pointing different ways and that both piles contain odd numbers of cards. This cues you as to how you must make your final prediction. But before you make that final prediction you will need to discard one of the portions of cards. Reading the one-way design on the backs of the cards you also know whether the top card of the lower portion is a red or a black card. Now let us consider the position. The spectator placed your £5 note on BLACK so you need a black card to

be chosen. Take a look at the back of the top card of the lower portion. The one-way marking will tell you whether the card is red or black. If black you retain that portion and discard the upper portion. If red you discard the lower portion and leave the upper portion in place knowing that the face card of that portion will be black (because of the alternating set-up). Either way you leave yourself in a position to be able, when the time comes, to turn over either the top card of the lower portion or turn over the entire top portion to reveal the face card which will be black. Either way you can show that the spectator has cut to a black card. The discarded portion should be put away in your pocket. By reading the backs of the cards you already know that each portion contained an odd number of cards so take out your £10 note and openly drop it on the card marked ODD (7). If both piles contained even numbers of cards you would drop the note on the card marked EVEN. Now you can reveal your predictions. First was the card red or black? The spectator himself bet on black. Turn over the card that was cut to (either top card of tabled portion or face card of the cut portion) to reveal that he was correct but alas because he was betting on your behalf he has just lost £5. Take the note back. The next bet is ODD or EVEN. You bet ODD. Ask the spectator to count the number of cards in the tabled portion. It is an odd number and you win again, taking back your £10 note. Finally right at the beginning, you made a prediction of HIGH cut off portion because the spectator

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or LOW. You now know the number of cards in the


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