Try this!

Think of a number from 7 to 16? Remember the card which lies at this number from the top of the deck. Cut off less than half the deck and straddle faro it into the bottom half. Pull out the faroed cards and put on top of the deck and square up so the top card of the deck is back on top again. Count off the same number of cards you originally thought of from the top of the deck without reversing their order. Now do an under-down deal with these cards. The last card you are left with should be the card you remembered!

This is an Alex Elmsley idea I recently read in the Phoniex. Does anyone else know of it, why it works, or any other routines which uses the same principle?

Hi John!
...i tried this (not sure whether I catched the right procedure)...and it didn´t work. perhaps therefore there is that little respond to your question. something can´t be right in the description: if I remember, say, the thirteenth card, straddle-faro the top half (with the selection in it) into the bottom half, and then (so I understand the description) pull out the faroed portion inclusive the telescoped bottom cards and then I square all these cards on top of the deck (right? that´s the part i´m not sure about), then the thought-of-card lies on the 25th position (position * 2 -1 (straddle = faro-out)). so, if I do take the thirteen cards of the top...the thought of card won´t be with them, so my card will not appear as the last card of the under-down-deal with that thirteen cards...where´s my fault? please, perhaps you can clearifying the handling...at least to me...

thank you in advance ( and to pointing us to that handling).
greetings!

Axel

You must cut top 7 cards to bottom before doing Faro.

If you do Under\Down Deal with X cards (in case X is 8 to 15), (2X-15)th card will be the last card. If you do the described proceedure, the selected card will be contolled to that location. 2(X-7)-1=2X-15.

Hideo Kato

Wow! Good job Hideo! I teach math and I would give you an A+! = ) You are also absolutely correct, I forgot to mention that you have to cut the top seven cards to the bottom BEFORE the straddle faro! I have actually been working on my own handling which is probably why I forgot this detail. I actually don't have the original write-up with me as I am on vacation with my wife and am using a friends computer. The requirement to have the spectator pick a number between 7 and 16 is kind of a weird restriction and so I've been working on a slightly different handling to eliminate this. It is really a pretty cool principle. Check it out. It should work now.

If I remember correctly, this is called Melbourne.

Seems vaguely similar to his Penelope Principal

Instead of pulling out weaved cards, I recommend to do that part as below.

Do straddle Faro and square the cards making a break above the original top card. Do Double Under Cut.

Hideo Kato

My handling of choice is to cascade the cards with my right hand (squeezing the faro'ed deck with finger on outer end and thumb in inner end) : the unweaved top portion "catch" in the fork of the thumb. Cut that to the table, then table the remaining cascaded cards on top.

Yes. It is called Melbourne. Not sure how similar it is to Penelope's Principle except that they both use the faro shuffle. There could be some connection though.

John