Annemann's New Deck Speller

Annemann would remove a deck of new cards from the case, remarking, “These are arranged like all new decks; the cards are all in sequence; or, maybe someone has been playing solitaire.” Choosing a spectator he would hand him two suits and ask him to make sure they were arranged (top to bottom) King to Ace; meanwhile Annemann would be looking over the remaining two suits.

While the assistant would be arranging his suits Annemann did likewise and a bit more. Using one of the suits he would arrange the thirteen cards in this order: 9 – 4 – J – 3 – 8 – 2 – 10 – A – 5 – 6 – 7 – K – Q. This order may be easily remembered if you memorize the cards in groups of three or four. The 9 is on the top of the packet and the Q on the bottom.

Annemann would then ask the spectator to name his favorite suit of the two he holds. When it was named Annemann would name his favorite as the one he just set up. He would hand it to the spectator and ask for his in return. Thus the spectator gets the stacked packet and the performer, the regularly arranged packet from Ace to King - King on top of packet and Ace on the bottom.

The spectator was then asked to turn up his top card - he does so and turns up the 9. With his packet, Annemann would spell N - I - N - E, putting each card underneath the packet and turning up the next card which proved to be the 9. The 9 was laid aside. Spectator would turn over the next card (the 4) and Annemann spelled F - 0 - U - R in the same manner. The 4 was turned over and laid aside. Spectator turned over his next card, the Jack. Here it was necessary to slip one card from the top to bottom before spelling. This he did under cover of some remark and then spelled J - A - C - K. The remainder of the cards spelled out as above. At the finish Annemann and the spectator were left without any cards.