EFFECT: A card is predicted by the magician using a calendar!

Bob Hummer's Cato is almost forgotten by magicians. I think that in this trick the principle makes the difference and strongly enhances the effect.

REQUIREMENTS: Two identical pocket size daily calendars; twelve zodiac sign cards (glue zodiac signs on blank face cards or use cards from a regular deck).

SET-UP: Write the name of a playing card on each day of the year on both calendars. On one calendar write (say) the 10H at May 7th (no other 10H may appear in that calendar) and place an envelope with a 10H in the back pocket of that calendar. On the other calendar write (say) JS on July 5th (no other JS appears in the whole year on that calendar). Place an envelope containing a JS in the back pocket of that calendar. Place the two calendars in the same pocket but remember which is which.

PERFORMANCE: Remove a calendar and show it to the spectators explaining that on each day of the year is written the name of a different playing card. Replace the calendar back into the same pocket.

Take out the packet of cards, show them and have them shuffled. Say that you will have a day chosen at random with the procedure that is controlled by the spectator. Keep the twelve card packet face down in the left hand. Take the top two cards into the right hand, square the two cards on top of the packet and at the same time, steal the next card below them.

Flip the three cards face up onto the packet and then cut the packet and complete the cut. Repeat by turning over only two cards and cut again.

Give the packet to a spectator to hold and invite him to repeat the same action (turning over two cards and cutting the packet). He can do this as long as he wants. When he is satisfied, have him deal the cards into two packets without changing the order of the cards, i.e., the top card to the left, the next card to the right of the first, the third card on top of the first, the fourth card on top of the second card at the right and so on until all the cards are dealt. Ask him to turn over one of the packets and to place it on top of the other (or he may shuffle it with the other).

Tell him that either the face up cards will determine the month (and the day will be determined by the face down cards) or vice versa, the face up cards will tell the day and the face down cards the month. Point out that either of the two options give totally different results.

No matter how many times the spectator turns over and cuts the cards, the results will always be the same. Five cards are reversed face up among seven face down or vice versa, five cards are face down among seven face up. So the date will always be either the 7th of May or the 5th of July.

Once the spectator has selected the date, take out the required calendar and invite the spectator to flip through the pages to see that the card at that dated is only mentioned once.

Ask him to remove the envelope at the back of the calendar and see that you have predicted the card!