How to Perform the Lucky Eighteen

The magician makes a prediction about the card that will be chosen by the spectator, places it inside an envelope, and after a series of arithmetic calculations, the spectator is led to choose the same card! I will show you how.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Envelope
• Duplicate deck of cards
• Pencil

1. Prearrange a deck so you know what the eighteenth card is in value and suit.

2. Ask a spectator to take the pad and pencil. Have him write down three numbers between one and nine, highest value first.

3. Have him reverse the order of the numbers and write them beneath the original three. Turn the first three into a three-digit number and repeat with the bottom three.

4. Subtract the bottom number from the top. Take the three digits from the result and add them together. If it was 952 to 259, then with 693, add 6 + 9 + 2 = 18.

5. Have another spectator select the card corresponding to this sum.

6. Reveal the chosen card in the envelope; it will match!

Tips & Warnings

• The trick here is that any three-digit number subtracted from its inverse, with the digits added, always equals 18!

[Fike]

on 11/4/2009 I probably didn't follow your instructions correctly, because it didn't work. Hence your admonition to, "practice"! (We hear that a lot in philosophy, too. So, as a creature of habit, I will.)

[Fike]

on 11/4/2009 How can you prearrange the deck (Step 1), since usually you have somebody cut and/or shuffle the cards? Of course, I have my own trick cards, but is there something I'm not seeing?

[Fike]

on 11/4/2009 Nice. Penn & Teller, anyone? I'll try it with a deck and a notepad today. Why magicianship, out of curiosity? (Or prestidigitation, if you will?) LF, 5*