I was taught a near-self-working routine in which the spec cuts the deck into four piles, deals cards from each onto the other piles, and ends with an ace on top of each pile. I never touch the cards.

First, I don't know if this is a common trick, or even one commercially available. It was taught to me during some private lessons. If it has a name, I'd like to know so I can do a bit more reading of it.

Second, the motivation behind all of the card counting and dealing is to divine the spec's lucky number. He picks up one pile, deals anywhere from 1 to 5 cards into the space and then on top of the other piles, then one more on the other three. Repeat for two other piles. I tell him I think his lucky number is XX; he deals off that many, deals one more onto the other piles as before, and turns up aces on all four.

The "lucky number" scenario seems weak. I thought maybe I'm going to prove that he's as good or better at handling cards than I am, and he can find the aces too. But everything I can think of is lacking.

Any ideas are welcome!
Ed

The number is obviously lucky because he turns up the four aces. If the deck had been a slot machine, coins would be pouring out at him. So saying, pick up the four aces and produce some coins from them, even chocolate or bubble gum coins in foil wrappers... the more the merrier as they cascade down onto the table.

That still makes the number come out of my head. Why, then, is it _his_ "lucky number"?

I'd even thought of having him pick a slip of paper "with a number" before we start, and then use a swami as I hand it back to him: "Here's the lucky number you picked before we began. Pick up the last pile and deal off that many cards ..."

Good? Weak?
Ed

The trick in question is most probably "Poker Players Picnic" from Royal Road to Card Magic.

That would be my guess.

Here is my presentation idea. Get lottery tickets with the following numbers:

01,10,22,31,49
03,11,20,41,47
11,12,23,32,54
13,21,22,32,51
(and so on...)

Have the spectator cut the deck into four parts. Show the lottery tickets and explain that you weren't lucky because none of them were winners. Talk about how sometimes lucky works differently for people (have you ever heard the stories about someone who plays a slot machine for hours, leaves and the next person wins on the first spin?).

Have them pick any of the old lottery tickets (making it clear that they are all different). Tell them to move the number of cards determined by the first digit to the bottom of each pile and then to deal the number of cards based on the second digit on to each of the remaining piles (make sure they deal one card to each pile before dealing the second card to each pile). Do this for each number and reveal the four aces.

If you want to extend the effect, you can pick a ticket and they can pick a ticket. Do your lottery ticket first ending up with a 2h, 3d, 4s and 6c (essentially nothing) and then use their ticket and have them turn over the four aces.

P.S. if you win playing those numbers, I get half!!!

Uli and RealityOne, thanks to both of ou for your thoughts. I'm not a card man, and don't have RRCM, so I'm not familiar with the routine you mention.

Uli, the idea of the lottery tickets is great! I hadn't thought of doing the numbers that way. One element of the routine, though, is that the first three numbers can be called out from the audience. This makes it more involving for younger teens, because they get to satisfy their sense of ganging up on me! And they don't feel all alone on stage, which is huge for a lot of them.

Unfortunately, that's also what makes it difficult to have the correct number of cards for the pile in a manner that makes sense. Which is why my mind is wandering towards billets and swamis and such.

As I said, I'm not a card man, so I'm not familiar with all the methods that might work to involve more than just the spectator and still make the numbers work.

Ed

For the last packet, under the guise of making it "totally random" have multiple kids yell out numbers. For the first number, have it be between 1 and 10. Write each number down and put the slips into a paper bag. For the second number, have it be between 1 and 5. Write those numbers down and put those numbers in a different paper bag.

You pull out a number from each bag as an example (say you pull out an 8 and a 3). Then you have the volunteer pull a number out of each bag and they just happen to be the right numbers to reveal the aces(e.g. first number is 5 and those go from top to bottom, second number is 2 and 2 cards are dealt to the other piles).

I think that would be easier because it is consistent with the prior numbers of having them called out and because it is done in the open. PM me if you need ideas on how to get the right numbers selected.

NOTE: I have the number of cards dealt to the other piles vary each time to further disguise the method. The standard effect is to only deal one card to each pile. If you are doing just one card, you would only need one bag of numbers. That would also simplify the presentation.

Here is how I used to do it:

I add a 3-spot on top of the set-up. That's it.

I ask the the participants to cut the deck into four piles. Then I'll ask them to turn over the top card of their respective packet. I explain that whatever value they get is the number of cards they should deal down unto the table (or duck under their packet) before they give a card to each and every other packet/participant.

Of course, the person that gets the key pile will have the 3-spot on top.