Supreme Control

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Supreme Control
This is an original version of the "Ne Plus Ultra" card trick first described in
"New Era Card Tricks" (Roterberg) and later in "Magical Originalities"
(Noakes).
If you learn the sequence of the method here described, those of my
readers who have not yet done so will add to their repertoire a fine
impromptu card effect with a borrowed pack, and suitable for all occasions.
The various deals and correct taking up of the heaps may seem somewhat
long-winded in print; the actions, however, once learned, all blend into each
other as the effect proceeds.
The performer must remember that the respective four heaps are
"numbered" from the right-hand position of the performer thus: 4, 3, 2, 1.
In rehearsing the trick a good plan is to mark these positions on the top of
the table to be used.

EFFECT.
A borrowed pack is shuffled, and eight cards are freely selected.
They are replaced on top of the pack, the cards cut by anyone and then
again shuffled and cut by the performer.
Each person who chose a card is called up to the performer's table in turn,
the performer on each occasion "discovering" the selected card.
The apparent open dealing, mixing and shuffling of the pack during the
experiment makes it impossible to believe that the chosen cards can be
under any sort of control by the performer. Yet such is the case.

METHOD.
Note carefully the exact manner explained for dealing the cards, and the
order of taking up the heaps from the table, as it is only in performing these
moves correctly that each of the selected cards, after the "discovery" of the
first one, invariably arrives automatically at a certain position in the pack,
although seemingly mixed up in it.
Use any genuine pack of fifty-two cards. (See the Joker is removed.) The
pack is handed to the audience and eight persons are requested tu each

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freely select a card.

Another person is now given the remainder of the pack to shuffle. The
cards are then returned to the performer, who receives them on a suitable
tray. The performer takes this opportunity to secretly note the bottom or
"key" card.
Now approach the last person (the eighth) who selected a card and request
him to return it face downwards on to the top of the pack on the tray. The
other remaining seven cards that have been selected are replaced on the
pack in the reverse order to which they were chosen. The card first selected
will therefore be on the top of the pack.
Ask the first chooser to cut the pack somewhere about the centre, and to
complete the cut. Handing him the tray with the pack on it, say: "Perhaps
you will be good enough to assist me in finding one of the cards."
Ask him to place the pack on your table and request him to stand on your
right. At this point, if you have a favourite false shuffle and false cut, take
up the pack and perform these sleights, remarking: "We may as well get
them well mixed up while we are about it."
These two moves, however, are not essential to the effect.
although I always work in the false shuffle and the "triple" false cut as
described in "The Expert at the Card Table" (Erdnase). In either case you
proceed as follows
The pack is on the table and the assistant on your right. The performer cuts
the pack into three heaps, as follows: Take a few cards (say a quarter of the
pack) from the top and place them on your right. Then take a large portion
and place them in the centre.
(This centre heap is bound to contain the eight selected cards.) The
remaining heap will now be on the left.

DISCOVERY OF THE FIRST CARD.

You now ask your assistant to hold your right wrist as you "touch" each of
the three heaps face downwards on the table, finally getting an
"impression" at the centre heap. Pick this heap up and deal the cards from
the top one by one face upwards on to the table until you come to the "key"
card, which was originally at the bottom of the pack, and which you
remember you privately noted.
You now state that the next card you turn up will be one of those selected.
Holding this card face downwards, turn it over, saying to the cl~ooser,
"Why, it ii your card, sir." This is verified by him.
Dismiss the first chooser and invite the person who selected the second

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card to come up.

DISCOVERY OF THE SECOND CARD.

The selected card just shown is placed on the top of the packet you are
holding. Now pick up the three heaps from the table and place them in any
order face downwards at the bottom of this packet. With the pack in your
hands, deal the cards from the top face downwards on the table, four at a
time, into four heaps from right to left, as indicated in FIG. 18.

When the pack has been dealt out thus (four at a time) you will be left with
four cards in your hand.
Deal these four one on to each packet, starting as before at No. 1. (FIG.
18).
The second chooser's card will always be the eleventh card down in the
extreme right-hand hemp (No. 1).
You now request the chooser of the second card to hold your wrist and,
passing your hand over the four heaps, duly get "impressed" at No. 1 heap.
Take up this heap and fan the cards slowly face downwards from hand to
hand without, however, disturbing their order. Pulling out the eleventh card
down, show it to your assistant and make him verify it as his selected card.
Replace this card back in its same position. Dismiss the second chooser,
and invite the third to come up.

DISCOVERY OF THE THIRD CARD.

With No. I Heap in your left hand, pi& up No. 2 heap from the table and
place it on No.1 heap. Then pick up No.3 heap and place it on No. 2, and
finally No. 4 heap on No. 3.
IMPORTANT: you pick up No. 2 heap take the opportunity to note and
remember the bottom card. It is, as a matter of fact, always the last card
(eighth) that was chosen, and the knowledge of its suit and value is
necessary, as explained later, when you come to the discovery of the last
card.
The performer now deals the cards again face downwards on the table from
right to left as before into four heaps, but this time they are dealt out singly,

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one card at a time.

At the conclusion of the deal the third choosers card will always be the top
card of No. 3 heap.
Now say to the third assistant, "I will try and discover your card by the
"sense of weight !" Pick up No. 1 heap and, appearing to "weigh" it in your
hand a moment or two, drop it back on to the table.
Repeat this with No. 2 heap.
Take up No. 3 heap and "weigh" it as you did the others.
Before dropping this heap on to the table push the top card by means of the
left thumb about an inch over the right-hand side of the packet, which is
immediately taken in the right hand, the fingers at the top end and the
thumb at the bottom; the back of the right hand hides the overlapping top
card. Holding the packet in this position it is dropped from a sufficient
height on to the table..- The top card will reverse itself in falling and will
turn face upwards on top of the heap on the table. (This is the third chosen
card.) Dismiss the third chooser and call the fourth up.

DISCOVERY OF THE FOURTH CARD

Replace the reversed card face downwards again on No. 3 heap and gather
them up as before (No. 2 heap on No. 1, No. 3 heap on No. 2, and No. 4 on
No. 3).
When the heaps have been taken up thus, the fourth chooser's card will
always be the top card of the pack.
Palm this card in the right hand and say to the fourth assistant, "I only
asked you up, sir, because I noticed you have your card in your pocket."
Push your right hand inside his coat and produce from it the vslmed card,
which he verifies as his. Dismiss the fourth assistant and call up the fifth.

DISCOVERY OF THE FIFTH CARD.

Place the card just produced on top of the pack and then deal the five top
cards face downwards on to the table from right to left, in a row. The, fifth
chooser's card will always be the fifth card from the right.
Say to your assistant, "One of these five cards is yours; the problem is,
which card? Would you like to guess ?" If he picks out his card, compliment
him. If not, turn up the card he picked out and say, "You had better let me
try; I will spell the words "which card." You proceed to do this, btarting at
the left-hand card (No. 5).
Touching a card for each letter you spell the letters w-h-i-c-h, and then,

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going back from No. 2, spell c-a-r-d. This will bring your finger on to the
fifth (selected) card, which is immediately turned up and verified.
Dismiss the fifth assistant and call up the sixth.

DISCOVERY OF THE SIXTH CARD.

Placing the five cards on the table in any order on the top of the pack, hold
it face away from you and say to the sixth assistant, "I will discover your
card by the "sense of touch !"
The sixth chooser's card will always be the tenth from the bottom of the
pack.
Hold the pack in the left hand, face towards the audience, and appear to
"feel" the face of the bottom card with the fingers of the right hand, finally
removing and placing it face downwards on to the table.
Repeat this with the next card, removing it as before, and so on, keeping
count until you come to the tenth card. Then say, "This I feel is your card,"
and show it to your assistant to check. Dismiss the sixth assistant and call
the seventh up.

DISCOVERY OF THE SEVENTH CARD.

Leaving the ten cards on the table, hold the pack again in the left hand, this
time face downwards, and ask the assistant to remove the cards himself one
by one from the bottom of the pack and to place them face downwards on
the table without seeing their faces.
His card will always be the thirteenth from the bottom.
You keep count as he removes each card from the bottom, and as he draws
away the thirteenth card, and before he can place same with the others, say,
"haven't you "felt your card yet? You have it in your hand !" He turns over
the card he is holding and verifies this.
Dismiss the seventh assistant, but do not call the eighth up.
Assume that the experiment is over. You will probably be reminded that
there is one more card to find. If you are not, casually ask if everyone has
had their cards discovered.
Meanwhile you have replaced the twenty-three cards which were on the
table on the bottom of the pack.

DISCOVERY OF THE EIGHTH CARD.

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Hold the pack in your hand and say to the eighth chooser, "Oh, I nearly
forgot your card, but don't trouble to come up; just take the pack in your
own hands." (You hand him the pack.) "You chose the..." (name the card
you noted when you gathered up the cards after the discovery of the
second card) "and it is the seventeenth card from the top." The eighth
choosers card will always be the seventeenth card from the top of the
pack. The assistant counts down to the seventeenth card, and finds that it is
the one he selected! You have thus produced, each in a different manner,
eight selected cards that have been returned and mixed into an unprepared
pack.
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