Miracle Mix-Up by Jack Yates

It's uncanny; you don't touch the pack; you don't see the pack. Yet you are able to reveal in a novel fashion a freely selected card. Write the simple instructions in the form of a letter to the "customer". You can do it over the phone, over the radio, on television, via SMS, Zoom, or any other communication channel. Or, if you prefer, you can do it close-up with a spectator. They do it at their leisure over and over again and still it works. The card is revealed by your own name thus gaining publicity, or you can use your own phrase or a number to reveal the card!

EFFECT: (There are different ways to perform it. Here is one version.) The one doing the trick (customer, spectator, person on the other end of the phone) shuffles the cards, and deals the pack into three piles. He selects any of the three piles (free choice), takes any card from the pile (free choice), remembers it, puts the card back, and puts the other two packs on top. Now he counts twice as many cards as the value from deck and puts the rest of the cards upside down on top. Similar counting and turning upside down actions are performed for the suit and color of the card. In the end some cards are face-up some face-down and nobody knows the location of the selected card. Then for example, the name of the performer is spelled and the next card turned up is the selection. The beauty is that the selection is being discovered without the magician even knowing what the card is.

Can be repeated time after time and still they don't know how it works. You do not ask any questions. The trick happens from start to finish in their own hands. The most effective bit of long distance (... or short distance...) trickery you have seen. This is one of the few effects that can honestly be called 'self-working'. It happens automatically.

This was shown to Bert Owen, a popular Blackpool Magician. He said, "It's really good - I have no idea what makes it work, but it does!" The trick has been demonstrated to many magicians and laymen and all have been completely deceived. You have nothing to remember, the spectator does it all himself.

To the complete instructions to perform this unbelievable effect, we have added an extra idea that permits to perform the trick in an even more bewildering manner. Please note that the trick is done with a regular deck of cards and with no prior preparation at all. Learn the method and perform it everywhere totally impromptu.If you you want a card trick that is more than just a trick, this is the one.

1st edition 1957, PDF 6 pages.
word count: 1357 which is equivalent to 5 standard pages of text