Devin Knight - Fortune Telling Card Trick

THE FORTUNE TELLING CARD TRICK Copyright © 2017 by Devin Knight Magic All rights reserved. No part of this PDF may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval now known or to be invented, without written permission from the author. 2

PREFACE After working a few card tricks, how many times have you been asked “Can you tell fortunes with cards?” Fortune telling with cards has always been interesting; but, how many of us have wanted to spend the time to learn and memorize the meanings of all the playing cards? I would dare say, very few of us. BESIDES, there is no trick to it. Now you can say, “Yes.” Not only that, but you can actually tell people how many brothers and sisters they have, how many children they have including their gender, number of pets and the month of their birth, including their current age (without doing any calculations in your head) something important that happened in their lives including describing their best friend. You can do this with a PERFECT STRANGER you know nothing about! THEY POSITIVELY DO NOT write it, whisper it to anyone or tell a living soul. Remember, you can do this with a person you have never seen before. You do not know the facts until after you shuffle the cards and deal them out in a series of circles. Then you read the cards as they fall. The cards tell you all these interesting facts about anyone through an ingenious method. BELIEVE IT OR NOT - THIS IS AN ACTUAL FACT. You can perform these feats thirty minutes after reading the instructions. You do not have to memorize the meanings of cards as in former methods. Just deal the cards out and read them as they fall. You can tell people they were born on such and such a date, during the month of so and so, and their age! You can tell them that they have so many brothers, sisters, and children. You can describe people’s best friend, AND THEY HAVE TO ADMIT THAT EACH AND EVERY ITEM IS CORRECT. There is not a mathematical or number stunt. No writing. No whispering or anything. Just a deck of cards, it sounds like a miracle, which is just how it appears. This is so simple and clever that you will say, “Why didn’t I think of this long ago?” There have been several versions of this is the past including versions by U. F. Grant and Del-Ardo. This is my updated version.

3

THE SECRET You require two decks of cards of the same make and back color. In one deck, have a short card. At the start, have this short card concealed in your shirt pocket. Hand the two decks to the person you will work this for. Instruct him (or her) to take one deck and while your back is turned, he is to deal four cards out on the table face up in a row to correspond with his birthday. Tell the spectator by doing so it helps him to visualize the date in his mind, as will all the subsequent cards he will deal. This is important and helps justify the dealing of the cards. Explain that an Ace counts as one, and a 10 counts as a zero. All the cards from 2-9 count as the value on the card. Picture (court cards) cards aren’t used for numbers. For example, if he was born on October 5th, have him deal cards as used when you write the date in short form: 10/05, the first card would be an Ace, to the right of that a 10, next card another ten spot (As ten will represent a 0) and the last card a 5. Make sure he understands that for single number months, a 10 goes in front for 0 before the single digit. Just like when you write it on a check. January= 01--- Ten/Ace February=02--- Ten/Two March=03--- Ten/Three April=04--- Ten/Four Now have the person deal two cards first at the left and the next to the right of the first card. Have them deal two that corresponds with the month of their birth, if they were born in March they would deal a ten for the zero and a three spot card (03). If June, a ten for the 0 and six spot (06). MAKE SURE YOUR SPECTATOR UNDERSTANDS THAT A 10 IS EQUAL TO ZERO AND DOES NOT COUNT AS TEN. November would be equal to two Aces side by side, and December would be Ace/two.

4

October would be Ace and a ten for zero, not just a ten. To the right of the two cards representing his birth month, have him deal two cards representing his birthdate, in order. Remember to use a ten before the single digit to make—Here are some examples: 01= Ten/Ace 02= Ten/Two 03= Ten/Three 04= Ten/Four 11= Ace/Ace 26= Two/Six Most people understand how to do this, as everyone writes checks and knows the format. I have found it is always good to have a few examples written on your business card to show the spectator as examples. June 6 = 06/06 in check format. In dealing four cards, they would be Ten, Six, Ten, Six. Oct 5 = Ace, Ten, Ten, Five I have found that most people understand the procedure and I have never had a problem with people correctly dealing out four cards in a row that represents their birthdate. NEXT THE SPECTATOR WILL START A NEW ROW DEALING CARDS ON TOP OF THE FOUR ON THE TABLE STARTING AT THE LEFT END. On top of the card at the left, the spectator is to deal a spot card that has the same number on it as they have brothers (if none, they place a ten spot for 0). Next, to the right of that card, they are to deal a spot card to correspond with number of sisters (if none, they place a ten spot for 0). On top of next card to the right in the row, deal a spot card to correspond with number of MALE children, the person may have (If none, they place a ten spot). On top of next card in the row deal a spot card to correspond with number of FEMALE children, the person may have (If none, they place a ten spot). 5

Now start over back to the left again and on top of that card, a card to correspond with what their best friend looks like. If a light-haired young man they place down a Red Jack, if dark-haired young man a Black Jack. If lighthaired middle aged man or older, a red King, if dark a Black King. Suit doesn’t matter. If light-haired lady a Queen (Red) if Dark haired lady a Black Queen. Again, suit doesn’t matter. Now on top of card to right of this a number card to correspond with the number of pets they have (if none deal a ten spot for 0). On top of two cards to the right of this, deal two cards for their age. (For example-if they are 36 years old they place a three on the third pile and a 6 spot on the fourth pile). Last of all tell them to put down on top of the piles (going from left to right) the year something important happened in their lives. (For example---if they were married in 1969 they would place an Ace on top of left hand pile a 9 spot on the pile to the right of that, a 6 spot on the card to the right of that and a 9 spot on the last pile. Instruct them to turn all piles face down before you turn around, as you do not want to see the face of any card they have dealt out. Then turn and walk to the table asking if they followed your instructions, etc. as you say this you pick up the remainder of the deck. Turn your back again while they stack up the four piles; instruct them to stack them from left to right in order, so the first pile at the left will be at the top and the fourth pile at the bottom. While they are doing this, you secretly add the short card to the top of the deck in your hand, while your back is turned. KEEP A LITTLE FINGER BREAK UNDER THE SHORT CARD. Turn around and pick up their stack of cards and place them on top of the deck in your hand, still retaining the break. Then as an afterthought, remove them, taking the short card along with them. That means to lift all the cards above the break. Place the remaining deck on table face down. Now apparently shuffle this stack of cards, but really give it a series of quick overhand single cuts that will appear as a shuffle. Now by the aid of the short card, cut that and all the cards below it to the top of the packet. THE SHORT CARD WILL NOW BE ON TOP OF THE PACKET. PLACE THIS 6

PACKET ON THE TABLE FACE DOWN. While you turn your back again, the person takes the remainder of the deck of cards and divides it into as many stacks as desired, then on top of any one of these he places the stack you just shuffled, then stacks all the piles up in any order desired. You turn around and apparently shuffle the entire deck, really giving it a series of single over hand cuts which will again appear as a genuine shuffle. To the laymen, it now appears as if the cards they originally dealt out are hopelessly lost and mixed in the deck, as they even placed them in any section of the deck while your back was turned. This part even fools magicians. After shuffling the deck, give it a cut, cutting the short card and all the cards below it to the top of the deck. Take the top card (really the short card) and place on the center of the table face down. Around the outside of this in a wide circle deal the next sixteen (16) cards face up. In a circle on the inside of this large one deal as many or as few cards as desired, as unknown to the audience you are only interested in the outside circle. Remember where you started the circle (hence the first card.) The 1st, 5th, 9th and 13th cards in the outside circle will tell you the birthdate of the spectator, (in other words these cards are just four apart.) The first two (1st and 5th) will tell you his birth month. The next two (9th and 13th) will tell you the day of his birth. If the four cards are Ace - Ace - 2 - 9 you know the spectator’s birthday is November 29th. It is simple as that! The second card in the circle tells how many brothers. Sixth card tells how many sisters. Tenth card tells how many male children and the 14th card tells how many female children. You are looking at every fourth card from 2nd card. The third card describes the person’s best friend, for example: If a Jack of Hearts, you say their best friend is a young light-haired man. The 7th card the number of pets, if any they have.) The 11th and 15th cards reveal the spectator’s age. (Same with this one, starting with the third card, then every fourth card.) The 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th cards tell you the year something 7

important happened in their lives, Now have them make a wish, then say you will turn over the center card. If black, their wish will come true. If red, they lose their wish. (NOTE) The reason we mention two decks at the start, is that sometimes a person runs out of Aces, etc. Before they get all 16 cards out, in this case they can use cards from the other deck.

AFTERTHOUGHTS At first, this may seem a little complicated, but it isn’t. You need only remember the order of the things you tell the person to visualize by dealing out four rows of card on top of each other. Remember each row is dealt on top of the previous row. To quickly recap: First Row: The person’s birthday. Second Row: Number of brother, number of sisters, number of male children, number of female children. Third Row: Best friend’s description, number of pets, their age Fourth Row: Year something important happened in their lives. After you do this a few times you will easily remember the sequence. You could even have a little cue card in full view to remind you of the questions. Practice dealing the 16 card packet in a circle, so you know the proper way to deal for it to be the right size. Don’t just reveal the information, but study the cards as you apparently gleam information. Make it into a little story. I have used this for many years with great success and so will you once, you give this a few tries. OPTIONAL: If you are familiar with the dates of the zodiac signs, you can tell the person their sign, such as CANCER, as soon as you know their birthdate. You could look at the circle of cards and say, the cards show me you are a Cancer or whatever zodiac sign is there, then reveal the birthdate and finally 8

their age. On the next few pages, I have listed the signs and the date they fall within. Also is included some information you can memorize and do a short cold reading for each sign.

Quick Reference Guide For Zodiac Sign Dates and Meanings

Sign: Aries Dates: March 21 - April 19 Element: Fire Planet: Mars Sign Characteristics: Active, Demanding, Determined, Effective, Ambitious. Very clever and resourceful when motivated. Leans towards making impetuous choices. Would rather leap before looking if there is a lure of excitement or adventure. Uncomfortable with stagnation; hates to be bored. Requires deep belief or passion in order to avoid tendency to be selfish.

Sign: Taurus Dates: April 20 - May 20 Element: Earth Planet: Venus Sign Characteristics: Security, Subtle strength, Appreciation, Instruction, Patience. Tends to be possessive. Finds it difficult to let go of 'the way things are' and consequently resistent to change.

9

Requires a home-base, this is especially true with the family unit. Finds identity within the home. Appreciates hard work and the value that comes from it.

Sign: Gemini Dates: May 21 - June 20 Element: Air Planet: Mercury Sign Characteristics: Communication, Indecision, Inquisitive, Intelligent, Changeable. A jack of all trades, but a master of very few of them. Hence, able to generate surface communication about virtually any subject. Quick intelligence, good at multi- tasking. Requires stimulation, variety and enjoys fast-paced situations. Logical, rational and usually a masterful instructor.

Sign: Cancer Dates: June 21 - July 22 Element: Water Planet: Moon Sign Characteristics: Emotion, Diplomatic, Intensity, Impulsive, Selective. Difficulty letting go. Often feels the target of sabotage from others. Highly imaginative and emotional. Very intuitive. Follows senses rather than physical evidence. Imagines problems where there are none, therefor tends to worry without cause. Gifted with instinct and creativity.

10

Sign: Leo Dates: July 23 - August 22 Element: Fire Planet: Sun Sign Characteristics: Ruling, Warmth, Generosity, Faithful, Initiative. Confidence and charisma often leads to natural opportunity. Takes great pride in accomplishment. Appreciates accolades and compliments for work well done. May have tendency to vanity. Recognizes the good things in life and wants them. Expressive and prefers dominant life-positions.

Sign: Virgo Dates: August 23 - September 22 Element: Earth Planet: Mercury Sign Characteristics: Analyzing, Practical, Reflective, Observation, Thoughtful. Can be scrutinizing and critical. Appreciates the high integrity. Understand the true definition of value and quality. Disdains waist and excess. Prefers to work with small details and may sometimes become lost in them. Often relied upon to manage effectively. Highly intelligent and deft at problem-solving.

11

Sign: Libra Dates: September 23 - October 22 Element: Air Planet: Venus Sign Characteristics: Balance, Justice, Truth, Beauty, Perfection. Easily sees both sides of an argument. Highly skilled at problem-solving and decision making. Knows how to be unbiased while offering spirited debates on beliefs, knowledge, politics, etc. Appreciates sharing amongst family, friends co-workers etc. Finds it difficult to be alone; works best in partnerships.

Sign: Scorpio Dates: October 23 - November 21 Element: Water Planet: Mars Sign Characteristics: Transient, Self-Willed, Purposeful, Unyielding. Not easy to pin down or predict. Prone to jealousy and possessivness. Highly amorous with impressive sex drive. This drive can be expressed in vocation, beliefs sport, or relationships. Tends to be competitive, especially with themselves. Can be very critical with themselves. Very creative, artistic and imaginative.

12

Sign: Sagittarius Dates: November 22 - December 21 Element: Fire Planet: Jupiter Sign Characteristics: Philosophical, Motion, Experimentation, Optimism. Uneasy with routine and stagnation. Requires stimulation. Imaginative and creative. Appreciates accumulation of knowledge and philosophy. Enjoys exploration and travel. Tends to be unabashedly honest. Hesitant to commitment, or finds it difficult to complete promised goals.

Sign: Capricorn Dates: December 22 - January 19 Element: Earth Planet: Saturn Sign Characteristics: Determination, Dominance, Perservering, Practical, Willful. Easily accepts obligation and responsibility. Lives by a moral code which is often traditional and conventional. Skilled strategic thinker, able to easily problem solve. Often achieves success by sheer hard work. Finds difficulty with change, especially changing perspective if committed to a certain ideal.

13

Sign: Aquarius Dates: January 20 - February 18 Element: Air Planet: Uranus Sign Characteristics: Knowledge, Humanitarianism, Serious, Insightful, Duplicitous. Original thinker, able to deftly move around problems with unorthodox solutions. Idealistic, and prefers equal opportunity for all. Tends to be the defender of underdogs. Philosophical and appreciates high spirited debates with others of equal intelligence. Can be unpredictable, highly opinionated and remote.

Sign: Pisces Dates: February 19 - March 20 Element: Water Planet: Neptune Sign Characteristics: Fluctuation, Depth, Imagination, Reactive, Indecisive. Deeply intuitive, often lives and thinks in a different world than others. Dreamer on multiple levels (in goals and in imagination). Finds difficulty facing reality. Highly artistic and easily expressive. This is especially true in song and written word such as poetry.

14