"Remove any nine cards from an ordinary deck, shuffle them, and deal them face down into three piles. Choose any pile and note its bottom card. Then assemble the three piles into one, being sure to place the chosen pile on top. 

Suppose the card you chose is the three of spades. Spell T-H-R-E-E, dealing one card face down onto the table with each letter. Place the remaining cards on top of these five and take up the whole packet. Now spell O-F, and again place the remaining cards on top of these two. Then spell S-P-A-D-E-S and place the remaining cards on top. 

Now pick up the packet and spell M-A-G-I-C, dealing the final card face up. It's the three of spades."

Deze relatief eenvoudig uit te voeren truc is uitgevonden door de goochelaar Jim Steinmeyer. Wellicht met de bedoeling om iedereen een zeker magisch vermogen te geven. Aan inspiratie is er op het internet alvast geen gebrek. Zeker nu er steeds meer werken vlot digitaal beschikbaar worden. Zoals "Artifice, Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table: A Treatise on the Science and Art of Manipulating Cards" van S.W. Erdnase uit 1902. (via boing boing)