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Sealed Fates

A deck of cards and a sealed envelope are placed on the table. This is not a random act of table-cluttery; you're about to do a trick.

You ask the spectator to keep posession of the envelope as you give the deck a casual shuffle.

The spectator picks a number. You explain that it can be any number between one and fifty-two; it doesn't really matter because fate has already decided the outcome. You slowly deal cards from the bottom of the deck, explaining that they all need to be kept face down for now, so we're not going to try and peek at any of them. When you arrive at the spectator's chosen number you deal the card face down infront of them, gathering the rest back up.

Reminding them that this about fate, you widely spread through the face down deck in your hands and tell them that you want them to take their face down card and slip it into the deck at any point as you spread through, but not to push it in all the way - just to leave it outjogged half its length like a place marker - and in that way a second card will be randomly selected.

Once they've stuck their card into the deck you square up and table it with their outjogged card somewhere in the middle. All of this is fair and random? Yes? Yes.

You ribbon spread the deck on the table and openly and fairly seperate their outjogged first selection and the card directly below it (which will become selection two) and remind them of the process that has just occured: they freely selected a number; we dealt to the corresponding card; that card was used by them to freely select a second card; both cards have remained face down and are a mystery.

You spread the rest of the deck face up on the table to show it is a genuine deck of playing cards while their two selections remain face down.

The spectator is then invited to open the sealed envelope. Inside is a folded slip of paper on which you've written 'You will choose the Two of Hearts and the Jack of Diamonds'.

By now it's probably time to turn over the Two of Hearts and the Jack of Diamonds, which you'll find located face down infront of your spectator.

Briareos wrote:Personally, I don't like trick which could practically involve dealing the whole deck. I always sigh when some kid says "Oh, I can do a trick too." In 90% of the cases I'm going to see the "Twenty One Card Trick". Not that it isn't a good self-working trick. With the right presentation it can be great but dealing, picking the piles up and dealing again and again just takes soo long.
Maybe you could use a different method to get the first card sellected because I really don't want to see an effect where the magician has to deal down 51 cards only because the spectator wants to be funny. Other than that your idea sounds good to me.

Lawrence wrote:Is this something you're going to be selling to us? I'm always curious to see how well things like this sell; my nine of clubs trick never got off the ground

Briareos wrote:Personally, I don't like trick which could practically involve dealing the whole deck [...] I really don't want to see an effect where the magician has to deal down 51 cards only because the spectator wants to be funny. Other than that your idea sounds good to me.

queen of clubs wrote:
You've got a point there. Although if a spec just wants to be annoying you could just say "Do you really want to sit there while I deal off 49 cards? Pick a different number." Or alternatively you could just make sure you've judged your audience well and only introduce this effect for someone who has shown a positive interest earlier in the performance.

queen of clubs wrote: I'm aiming more to be a female cross between the styles of Bill Malone and mid-career Derren Brown.