Cards

“ THE CLASSIFICATION OF PACKS OF CARDS INTO SUITS. EVER since the fifteenth century evidences of the existence and popularity of cards have been found in Italy, Spain, Germany, and France.
The names, colours, emblems, number, and form change with the countries or caprices of the card-makers; but what are termed Cartes Tarots or Cartes Françaises are always the original cards which came from the East, and which are in a greater or less degree faithful imitations of the still more ancient game of Chess. ”

“ Detection of a Drawn Card by Color. Previously separate the pack into two parts, placing all the red cards in one pile, and all the black cards in the other. One of these packs you conceal in your pocket. You let any person draw a card from the other pack, and while he is examining the card, substitute the pack in your pocket for the one you hold in your hand. Let him place his card in the pack you have taken from your pocket, and shuffle as much as you please. You will at once recognize the card he has drawn by the difference of color. ”

“ The foundations follow suit. Only cards in the highest or lowest rows are available, until a card from any other row is released, by the removal of cards either above or below it, the principle being that no card can be used that is not free either from the top or the bottom. Small crosses are placed on the tableau to mark the cards that are available. ”

“ To perform this amusement, all the cards of one colour must be cut something narrower at one end than the other. You show the cards, and give them to any one, that he may shuffle them; then holding them between your hands, one hand being at each extremity, with one motion you separate the hearts and diamonds from the spades and clubs. ”

“ The cards are well shuffled, the [Pg 147] consultant keeping his thoughts all the time fixed upon whatever wish he may have formed; the cards are cut once, and the card cut is noted; they are shuffled again and dealt out into three parcels—each of these being examined in turn, and if it is found that the card turned up next, either the one representing the dealer or the person who is consulting him—the ace of hearts or the nine of hearts, it is said that the wish will be granted. ”

“ To cause a Number of Cards to Multiply invisibly in a Person’s keeping.—Secretly count any number, say a dozen, of the top cards, and slip the little finger of the left hand between those cards and the rest of the pack. Invite a person to take as many cards as he pleases, at the same time putting into his hands all, or nearly all, of the separated cards. ”

“ FINALE TO A CARD TRICK. You ask a person to draw a card, which he does, and putting the pack of cards in a boy’s mouth, you tell him that card only shall remain there. You then give the card a blow, and all fall down except the card that was drawn. ”

“ TO TELL FOUR CARDS IN A LOOKING-GLASS. Prepare a pack of cards thus: eight aces of diamonds, eight eights of clubs, as many tens of hearts, and a last octave of queens of spades. These sets are arranged in the order as described, the last bottommost.
The four persons who draw are forced to select each 294from a set of eight, in order from the top downwards. Do not allow the drawers to look at the cards, but keep them in their hands or pockets. You now hand around a mirror, and ask the spectators whether they see in it anything else except their own faces. ”

“ Take the whole pack of fifty-two cards, and let them be well shuffled by as many persons as care to do so. Explain that if during your absence any one present will deal out the cards, faces downwards, into packs made up according to instructions, you will upon your return tell the aggregate number of pips shown on the bottom cards of the packs, the court cards being considered as equal to ten pips and the ace as equal to one pip. ”

“ After he has well regarded the cards, you take them from him, and putting them into different parts of the pack, shuffle them, or give them to him to shuffle. During which you recollect by the foregoing line all the cards he took out; and as you lay them down, one by one, you name each card.
THE CARD IN THE MIRROR. Provide a mirror, either round or oval, the frame of which must be at least as wide as a card. The glass in the middle must be made to move in the two grooves, and so much of the quicksilver must be scraped off as is equal to the size of a common card. ”

“ Young girls use smaller cards than older ladies. A gentleman's card is long and narrow, from 2-7/8 to 3-1/4; inches long, and from 1-1/4 to 1-5/8 inches high. All visiting cards are engraved on white unglazed bristol board, which may be of medium thickness or thin, as one fancies. A few years ago there was a fad for cards as thin as writing paper, but one seldom sees them in America now. The advantage of a thin card is that a greater quantity may be carried easily. ”

“ You turn, and while pretending to look through the pack, you take two other cards which you must have at hand, place with them a card out of the pack, and approach those persons who have drawn cards, asking each if his card is not among the three. ”

“ Second Method.—Proceed as above, but instead of opening the pack to get sight of the card, bring it secretly to the bottom by the pass, and offer the cards to be shuffled, holding them at the upper end between the thumb and first and second finger of the right hand, and slanting from you at an angle of 45°, as in Fig. 15. As the faces are towards you, you have a full view of the card. Even if it should suggest itself to the audience that you are able to see the bottom card, as they are not aware that the chosen card is now in that position, there is nothing to excite their suspicion. ”

“ Cover the pack lengthways with the right hand, and clip the cards between the fingers and thumb as if you were about to make the pass by the first method. Keep the thumb unmoved, but draw the fingers smartly upwards, so as to bend the cards slightly. The springing of the cards as they escape one by one from the pressure of the fingers, and again straighten themselves, causes a peculiar sharp sound. ”

“ The trick of dealing the second card is very easily learned. Take a pack of cards in your left hand, in the manner usually adopted in dealing, with the thumb lying across the middle of the pack. Then with the thumb advance the two top cards slightly to the right. ”

“ TO GUESS THE SPOTS ON A CARD. Take a whole pack, consisting of 52 cards, and desire some person in company to draw out any card, at pleasure, without showing it. Having assigned to the different cards their usual value, according to their spots, call the knave 11, the queen 12, and the king 13. Then add the spots of the first card to those of the second; the last sum to the third; and so on, always rejecting 13, and keeping the remainder to add to the following card. It may be readily seen that it is needless to reckon the kings, which are counted 13. ”

“ Cards on the shutter can marry in descending line with each other, or with cards from the pack or talon. When you have married or played all available cards, deal out the remainder of the pack, playing, marrying, and refilling spaces; the unsuitable cards forming a talon. ”

“ From this time the mention of cards becomes frequent. They formed the common amusement in the courts of England and Scotland under the reigns of Henry VII. and James IV.; and it is recorded that when the latter monarch paid his first visit to his affianced bride, the young princess Margaret of England, “he founde the quene playing at the cardes.”
It must not be forgotten that it is partly to the use of playing cards that we owe the invention which has been justly regarded as one of the greatest benefits granted to mankind. The first cards, as we have seen, were painted with the hand. ”

“ But to how many of those to whom playing cards as a means of recreation are familiar is it known what may be found on the cards? Yet upon these "bits of painted cardboard" there has been expended a greater amount of ingenuity and of artistic effort than is to be found in any other form of popular amusement. ”

“ In Germany, hearts, bells, leaves, and acorns were generally adopted; in Spain, swords, cups, batons, and coins prevailed as devices for cards.
Various materials have been adopted in the production of playing cards. At South Kensington Museum, besides cards printed from etched steel and copper-plates, wood blocks, and by lithography, we find a pack of silk embroidered cards. A pack of white metal engraved cards were shown at this institution, if we remember rightly, some year or so ago. ”

“ To allow a Person to think of a Card, and to make that Card appear at such Number in the Pack as Another Person shall Name.—Allow the pack to be shuffled and cut as freely as the company please. When they are fully satisfied that the cards are well mixed, offer the pack to any of the spectators, and request him to look over the cards, and think of any one, and to remember the number at which it stands in the pack, reckoning from the bottom card upwards. ”

“ When a card has been mentally noted by one of the audience, proceed to deal out the cards in three heaps, with the faces of the cards turned uppermost, and so that the first card shall be first in the first heap, the second card first in the second heap, the third card first in the third heap, and so on. ”

“ One card is enough, as you are really playing six cards to everyone else's five. This card will make a 'straight' of a 'flush' sometimes; or, very often, will give you 'two pair' or 'three' of a kind. If you are very expert, you can play the machine on your own deal ”

“ On running over the cards, you easily discover the drawn cards, the even cards being in the heap of odd cards, and the odd cards in the heap of even cards.
TO MAKE TWO PERSONS DRAW THE SAME CARD OUT OF TWO PACKS. You arrange with your confederate that he shall select a certain card, say the tenth from the top, in a prepared 292pack. From a second pack you force a similar card on an innocent member of the company. ”

“ It is not our purpose to historically trace the evolution of cards—this is a subject beyond the reach of the present article—but a look farther afield will give us evidence that during the last three centuries there has been a constant adaptation of cards to purposes which take them beyond their intention as the instruments for card playing only. ”