Card counting

[steveh]

This is a trick that I normally do with cards

There is a certain order that a suit of cards can be placed it so that starting at the top and removing the first card to the bottom you can count out all of the numbers and court cards (The knave or whatever you call him must be spelled out in the English manner of J A C K)

So for example you would place the first card to the bottom and say O, place the second card on the bottom and say N, place the third card on the bottom and say E and then turn over the fourth card and it would be a one (ace) and then carry on spelling out each number in the same way until you have counted out all of the numbers and the jack, the queen and the king.

What is the order that the cards must be placed in to do this?

[steveh]

OK a clue

The first 4 cards are placed like this

[Jezza]

Here you go:

Spoiler

3,8,7,A,Q,6,4,2,J,K10,9,5

[steveh]

Hi Jezza

Spot on I was going to leave one choccy bar but I suspect that there was maybe a midnight fireside chat with grandad bear so I had better leave 2

[Jezza]

Yum yum. That was a nice little puzzle, I had an Excel workbook out and once I realised a fundamental flaw in my logic it just dropped into place which is very satisfying. After I got the answer I did the trick on Jezzarette 2 who could only say "CCccccoooolll"

[Brooke]

fundamental flaw in my logic

Well, this has been bugging me - I saw your solution and started wondering who was on the different planet - and I've only just managed to work it out. Same flaw?

Spoiler

what does counting out mean?

[Timelord]

Sorry, I am lost on this answer. I get to 3 no problem. f o u r should be next, but that does not get me to the 4...I must be missing something. After you count the Ace, do you remove it? and so on...

Probably obvious but today the brain screams NOOOOO

[steveh]

Hi all

Just to close this off

3, 8, 7, 1 (ace), Q, 6, 4, 2, J, K, 10, 9, 5 so with the 3 being the top card and the 5 being the bottom card you take the 3 from the top and say "O", then the 8 and say "N", then the 7 and say "E" then when you tuen over the 4 card you have spelet out 'One' and the placed the 1 down, then carry on doing the same, Q to the bottom "T", 6 "W", 4 "O" turn over the 2 etc.

Please note that this set up is for a UK deck where we would say two and not deuce and jack and not knave

[Jezza]

This method is a classic example of Card Stacking and the basis of a lot of parlour tricks. When the Jezzarettes were mere cubs I used to do little magic shows for them which even got me a few kid's parties. After I did the children's show and they were off feasting on salt, sugar, colouring, trans fat and empty calories I would "entertain" the adults with a few card tricks.

The fun of the game was to have a few packs of cards in a pocket which I secretly marked [they thought it was the same pack] the mark telling me which trick I was selecting. These cards were stacked in certain orders so I could do similar tricks to the one above (this one is/was new to me when this puzzle was posed) or one where I could cut the cards over and over again and then get the punter to select a card, put back in the pack and immediately tell them what it was (by sneakily looking at the card above the one they selected).

All adults are essentially cynical of parlour tricks and magicians but it is still very pleasing to do a trick and get them to go "Wow, how did you do?" grab the pack of cards, delve through them and not see the pattern. A lot of the time all you need is "a gift of the gab" which is very difficult for me as you know I am a very quiet and retiring type

Now to make these type of tricks really bamboozling is to force a card on a punter that takes you to the start of the stacking in the pack!!

If you are ever in London go to the under-road footpath outside Charing Cross Station where there is a well hidden shop where you can buy magic tricks and equipment. You can go in there and say you want to do a certain trick, you will be asked if you are professional, say no and they will bring the "amateur" selection out and demonstrate it. If you are shrewd you can get a free magic show for free