#5: Two Card Location

EFFECT:

A deck of cards is first freely shuffled. The performer's back is turned and, holding the deck behind him, requests someone, with the aid of a knife or toothpick, to insert it anywhere in the deck and, separating the deck at that place, requests them to look at the card. This is repeated with another card. Everything is above board. No breaks are held, bent cards, or peeked at cards. The performer reveals the chosen cards.

SECRET and HOW TO PERFORM:

The one-way deck principle. This is a well-known artifice among cardmen. Some decks differ at one end, such as the most common having a picture on the back. Thus, when the cards are facing one way, and should a card be turned around, a look through the deck will find it because it is reversed at the end. This is the principle employed in a novel manner. 

Place the deck behind your back. The deck rests on your left-hand palm. The right hand grasps the top of the deck with the fingers toward your body and the thumb to the front. Allow them to make a break anywhere in the deck. You lift the deck at the place selected, allowing them to look at the bottom card of the cut. Now the cut is replaced and with a twist of the wrist so that the thumb is near the body and the fingers are toward the front. You have thus given that portion of cut a reverse so that ends are facing toward opposite ends. Have someone make a break again anywhere in the deck, holding cards as outlined above. All that remains in finding the selected card is to bring the deck to the front and, in looking through the deck, find the two reversed portions. The selected cards will be at the bottom of the reversed portions.