PREDICTING THE SHIFT
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cards in this half. Let as assume there are 24. The 2 and 4 are added to make 6. He looks at the sixth card from the bottom of the half-deck he is holding, then replaces the halfdeck on the other half, squares the pack, and hands it to the magician. The magician starts dealing the cards from the top, spelling aloud the phrase "T-H-E M-A-G-I-C O-F M-A-NH-A-T-T-A-N," one letter for each card dealt. The spelling terminates on the selected card. Method: The described procedure always places the chosen card nineteenth from the top of the pack. Therefore any phrase of nineteen letters will spell to the chosen card. Bill Nord, the New York City amateur conjuror who invented this effect, suggested "The Magic of Manhattan," but any phrase of nineteen letters will of course work just as well. Both this trick and the preceding one are based on the fact that if you add the digits in a number and subtract the total from the original number, the result will always be a multiple of nine.
Predicting the Shift A packet of thirteen cards is cut several times, then given to a spectator. The magician turns his back and requests that the spectator transfer, one at a time, any number of cards from 1 to 13, inclusive, from the bottom to the top of the packet. The magician turns around, takes the packet, fans it face down, and immediately draws out a card. When the card is turned over, its face value will correspond to the number of cards shifted. The trick may be repeated indefinitely. Method: The packet contains one card of each value from ace to king, arranged in numerical progression with the king on top. The packet is cut several times, but as the performer hands it to the spectator, he notes the bottom card. Assume it is a four. After the cards have been shifted, the nlagician counts to the fourth card from the top, and turns it face up. The value of this card will correspond to the number shifted. The trick is repeated by noting the bottom card again as the packet is handed out. Better still, by knowing the order of rotation (which remains the same regardless of cutting and shifting), the magician simply counts backward from the card