Detective Story

You need a deck of 52 cards for this trick, which the spectator can shuffle.

Start by taking out a "detective" card (a jack for example). You must next place it face-up in the 26th position from the top. You could either count while spreading or cut the deck.

Now, ask your spectator to cut the deck into 3 piles. The detective card should be in the middle packet. The spectator can shuffle the bottom packet, take a card from it, remember it, and place it on top of the top pile. Put the bottom pile on top. You can ask your spectator to put the middle packet on top or on the bottom.

The spectator can then cut the deck as many times that they want.

Next, deal 4 piles of 13 cards.

Look for the detective card, the only one face-up, and remember its position in its pile. The spectator's selected card is in the other even or odd pile, in the same position of the detective.

For example, if the detective is in the 7th position of the 3rd packet, the spectator's selected card is in the 7th position of the 1st pile.

You can reveal the card as it was the detective telling you.