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How to Do mathematical card tricks: "The Power Of Three"

Feb 5, 2010 09:00 AM
A hand pointing at a playing card among a spread of playing cards on a blue surface.

Ever wanted to perform a magic trick but didn't really have the hand eye skills most magicians seem to have? Always thought magic can be performed only by face-to-face and not long distance (say over the phone)? Well think again as I teach you how to do the Mathematical card trick "The Power of Three"

1. Get a Deck of Cards and Remove the 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings from the Deck.

2. Get the other person to select any three cards.

3. Tell them to multiply the values of the cards by three.

4. Then get them to put down on each of the cards a combination of cards that make up the value of the card multiplied by three (e.g., for 24 they put down a 2 and a 4).

5. Then take away the first three cards so you're left with the new set of cards.

6. Afterwards multiply these second load of cards by three and repeating step 4 and 5 so you're now left with a third different set of cards.

7. Get you're willing participant to then turn over one of these cards and then to add up the pip value of the remaining cards.

8. Next get them to tell you that number, from this you can work out whatever card the turned over. The key to this is in multiples of 9 (9,18,27...)

9. So whatever value they gave be sure to go to the next multiple of nine, e.g., if they said 19 then the card they turned over is an 8, as 27 (the next multiple of 9) is 19-8.

10.You should now have a stunned audience. Enjoy!

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