Long Card.—This is the technical name for a card longer or wider, by about the thickness of a sixpence, than the rest of the pack. This card will naturally project to that extent beyond the general length or width of the other cards, and the performer is thereby enabled to cut the pack at that particular card whenever he chooses to do so. With the aid of such a card, and a tolerable proficiency in “forcing” and “making the pass,” many excellent tricks can be performed. Packs with a long card can be obtained at any of the conjuring depôts. The best plan, however, is to purchase two ordinary packs, precisely alike, and to have the edges of one of them shaved down by a bookbinder to the requisite extent, when you can insert any card of the other pack at pleasure to form your long card, and thus avoid the suspicion which would naturally arise from the performance of several tricks with the same card. A still greater improvement upon the ordinary long-card pack is the biseauté or tapering pack, in which, though only one pack is used, any card may in turn become the long card. A biseauté pack consists of cards all of which are a shade wider (say the thickness of a shilling) at one end than the other. (See Fig. 33, in which, however, the actual difference of width is exaggerated, in order to make the shape of the card clear to the eye.)
Fig. 33. Fig. 34.
Fig. 35.
When two cards shaped as above are placed one upon another, but in opposite directions, the effect is as in Fig. 34. If the whole pack is at the outset placed with all the cards alike (i.e., their ends tapering in the same direction), by reversing any card and returning it to the pack, its wide end is made to correspond with the narrow ends of the remaining cards, thereby making it for the time being a “long” card. By offering the pack for a person to draw a card, and turning the pack round before the card is replaced, the position of that card will thus be reversed, and you will be able to find it again in an instant, however thoroughly the cards may be shuffled. By pre-arranging the pack beforehand, with the narrow ends of all the red cards in one direction, and those of the black cards in the other direction, you may, by grasping the pack between the finger and thumb at each end (see Fig. 35), and, drawing the hands apart, separate the black cards from the red at a single stroke, or, by preparing the pack accordingly, you may divide the court cards from the plain cards in like manner. Many other recreations may be performed with a pack of this kind, which will be noticed in due course. The long card and the biseauté pack have each their special advantages and disadvantages. The long card is the more reliable, as it can always be distinguished with certainty from the rest of the pack; but it is very generally known, and after having made use of it for one trick, it is clear that you cannot immediately venture upon another with the same card. It is further comparatively useless unless you are proficient in “forcing.” The biseauté pack may be used without any knowledge of “forcing,” and has the advantage that any card may in turn become the key card, but it is treacherous. The necessary turning of the pack is likely to attract observation, and any little mistake, such as allowing the card to be replaced in its original direction, or a few of the cards getting turned round in shuffling, will cause a breakdown. Notwithstanding these disadvantages, both the long card and the biseauté pack will be found very useful to the amateur; but it should be borne in mind that both these appliances are in reality only makeshifts or substitutes for sleight-of-hand. Professionals of the highest class discard them altogether, and rely wholly on the more subtle magic of their own fingers.
We subjoin a few of the best of the feats which specially depend upon the use of a long card or the biseauté pack.
A Card having been Chosen and Returned, and the Pack shuffled, to Produce the Chosen Card instantly in various ways.—Request some person to draw a card, spreading them before him for that purpose. If you use a long-card pack you must force the long card; if you are using a biseauté pack any card may be drawn, the pack being reversed before the card is replaced. The card being returned, the pack may be shuffled to any extent, but you will always be able to cut by feel at the card chosen.
You may vary the trick by taking the cards upright between the second finger and thumb of the right hand, and requesting some one to say, “One, two, three!” at the word “three” drop all the cards save the card chosen, which its projecting edge will enable you to retain when you relax the pressure upon the other cards.
Another mode of finishing the trick is to request any one present to put the pack (previously well shuffled) in his pocket, when you proceed, with his permission, to pick his pocket of the chosen card. This is an effective trick, and, if you are proficient in sleight-of-hand, may be also performed with an unprepared pack of cards. In the latter case, when the chosen card is returned to the pack, you make the pass to bring it to the top, palm it, and immediately offer the cards to be shuffled. (See Fig. 15.) The pack being returned, you replace the chosen card on the top, and when the pack is placed in the pocket you have only to draw out the top card. The feat of cutting at the chosen card may also by similar means be performed with an ordinary pack. For this purpose you must follow the directions last above given up to the time when, the pack having been shuffled, you replace the palmed card on the top. Then transfer the pack to the left hand, and apparently cut with the right. We say apparently, for though to the eye of the spectator you merely cut the cards, you really make the pass by sliding the lower half of the pack to the left, the fingers of the left hand at the same moment opening a little to lift the upper packet, and so give room for the upward passage of the lower packet. The cards remaining after the pass in the left hand, which the spectators take to be the bottom half of the pack, are in reality the original upper half; and on the uppermost of such cards being turned up, it is found to be the one which was chosen.
Another good mode of finishing the trick is to fling the pack in the air, and catch the chosen card. For this purpose, after forcing the long card, and after giving the pack to be shuffled, you cut the pack at the long card as before, but without showing it, and place the original lower half of the pack on the top. The chosen card will now be at the bottom. Take the pack face downwards upon the right hand, and quickly transfer it to the left, at the same time palming (with the right hand) the bottom card. Spread the cards a little, and fling them into the air, clutching at them with the right hand as they descend, and at the same moment bring the chosen card to the tips of the fingers. The effect to the spectators will be as if you actually caught it among the falling cards.
This feat also may be performed without the aid of a long card, and without the necessity of forcing a card. In this case, as in the pocket-picking trick, you make the pass as soon as the card is returned to the pack, in order to bring it to the top, and palm it; then offer the pack to be shuffled. When the cards are handed back, place the chosen card for a moment on the top of the pack, and endeavour to call attention—indirectly, if possible—to the fact that you have no card concealed in your hand. Then again palming the card, you may either yourself fling up the cards or request some other person to do so, and terminate the trick as before.
A still more effective form of this trick, in which the chosen card is caught upon the point of a sword, will be found among the card tricks performed by the aid of special apparatus.
The following is a good long-card trick, but demands considerable proficiency in sleight-of-hand. You “force” the long card, allowing it to be returned to any part of the pack, and the whole to be well shuffled. You then say, “You must be by this time pretty certain that, even if I knew your card in the first instance, I must have quite lost sight of it now. If you do not feel quite certain, please shuffle the cards once more.” Every one being fully satisfied that the card is completely lost in the pack, you continue, “Let me assure you that I do not know, any more than yourselves, whereabouts in the pack your card is at this moment. You can all see that I have no duplicate card concealed in my hands. I will now take the top card, whatever it may be, or, if you prefer it, any one may draw a card from any part of the pack, and I will at once change it to the card originally chosen.” The audience will probably prefer to draw a card, which,