Snowblind

This simple romantic packet trick was inspired by my routine “Soulmates in the Snow”, which, in turn, is based on Dean Dill’s classic card trick “Blizzard”. It’s an ideal alternative when you want a less involved routine that is quicker to perform and doesn’t require a deck switch or a whole deck dedicated to one trick.

I’ve decided to name it “Snowblind” because the trick is based on “Blizzard”, and the primary sleight-of-hand technique in the routine is the first “blind shuffle” described in The Expert at the Card Table. It’s a “snow blind”, if you will. I don’t know why this amuses me so, but it does! That’s all there is to it. All you need is to perform a decent false shuffle, and you’re golden. While you can also perform a false cut (I describe a good one below), only the blind shuffle is necessary to make the trick convincing to a lay audience.

JUMP AHEAD

On This Page

Effect
Background & Credits
Requirements & Preparation
Method & Presentation
Cleanup & Reset
Performance Tips & Additional Ideas
Final Thoughts

Effect

The deck is thoroughly shuffled as the bride and groom name a two-digit number below twenty that holds significance for them. The bride cuts the cards, and that number of cards is dealt from the deck into a pile.

Following numerological tradition, the two digits are added together, and that sum is dealt back onto the deck.

You explain that the happy couple will perform a “cartomantic love ritual” with the remaining cards. You demonstrate the elimination process: one card is slid under the packet as you say, “She loves me…” The next card is dealt to the table: “She loves me not…” This continues until a single card remains.

You explain how the oracle works: if it’s a Heart, the person loves you. If it’s a Diamond, an engagement is imminent. But if it’s black—a Club or Spade—your romantic future looks bleak. You turn over your card. It’s the Two of Hearts. Phew!

The groom performs the ritual and is left with the Queen of Hearts. The bride does the same and is left with the King of Hearts—a perfect pair! Finally, the discarded cards are spread face up, revealing that every single one is blank!

Background & Credits

The Count-Back Force, also known as the 10-20 Force, first appeared in print in Billy O’Connor’s “After the Four Ace Trick” in the June-September 1935 edition of The Magic Wand. However, there is evidence to suggest the force is much older than this.

Dean Dill’s “Blizzard” was released circa 1996. It was later re-released by Penguin Magic in 2022.

Requirements & Preparation

You will need a regular deck of playing cards and six blank-faced cards with matching back designs.

Remove the King and Queen of Hearts from the pack, and arrange them with the blank cards in the following order, from the top of the packet down (the blank-faced cards are represented by the letter B): QH-B-KH-B-B-B-2H-B-B.

Put this nine-card setup on top of the deck.

Note on Deck Thickness: This setup adds bulk. It will give you a slightly thicker deck than usual. If this bothers you, you can remove and discard six indifferent cards from the deck. Personally, I don’t bother, unless I’m storing the cards in a tuck box.

A standard Bicycle card box typically holds 56 playing cards without them sticking together (52 cards plus two Jokers and two advertising cards). Therefore, you’ll need to remove at least four cards, such as the two black Aces and two Jokers, along with the two advertising cards, for the modified deck to fit in the case. A logical and straightforward setup is to place the four Aces in the outside breast pocket of your jacket (or in a packet-trick wallet). This leaves you with fifty cards, allowing you to perform “Snowblind” by removing the deck from the box. You can then do a packet trick with the Aces, such as Vernon’s “Twisting the Aces” or “The Last Trick of Dr. Jacob Daley,” then reinsert the Aces into the deck and put the blank cards in your breast pocket. This way, you will end up with a regular deck containing fifty-two cards plus two Jokers.

However, the simplest way to prepare is to keep the nine-card setup in your outer, left jacket pocket. When you want to perform the trick, briefly place the cards in your left jacket pocket, adding the nine cards on top of the deck as you do so. A good way to do this is to perform a trick that doesn’t involve cards, such as a coin trick, then retrieve the deck from your pocket. (This justifies you putting the cards away in your pocket in the first place.)

Method & Presentation

Perform a standard overhand jog shuffle, retaining top stock. (Undercut about two-thirds of the deck, injog a block of card and shuffle off. Undercut to the injog and throw on top.)

Place the deck in front of the bride and mime cutting the cards towards yourself. This will ensure she deposits her cut-off portion between you and the original lower part of the deck.

Reach over with your right hand and pick up the pile closest to the bride, as you ask, “How many cards do you think you cut off the deck?” As you ask this question, drop the cards into your waiting left hand and immediately pick up the other pile, dropping it on top of the cards already in your left hand in an unhurried and deliberate manner. This is the delayed false cut without the delay. It is essentially an “open shift” and gives the impression that your participant cut the cards freely. The verbal interjection (in this case, a question) serves as mental misdirection, making it virtually impossible for a person to track the cut’s topology. (This choreography was taught to me by Benjamin Earl.)

Ask the couple to name any two-digit number below twenty that holds some significance. It could be an anniversary, an old house number, or simply a lucky number. Slowly deal that number of cards from the deck into a pile on the table.

Say, “According to the mystic laws of numerology, we must add your two digits together and deal that many cards back onto the deck.” Do as you describe. For example, if the couple rolled a four and a five, their total would be sixteen (4 + 5 + 7 = 16). Add these two digits together (1 + 6 = 7), then deal seven cards back onto the top of the deck. Thanks to the Principle of Nine, you’ll always end up holding your nine-card stack.

Now, everything is set for the “love ritual” phase of the routine.

Demonstrate the “Love Me Not” elimination process by performing a standard Under-Down Deal (Duck and Deal). This will leave you holding the Two of Hearts. Before turning the card over, appear a little nervous, and say, “Does she love me?” Look relieved when you see that the card is a Heart. This helps sell the falsehood that the Under-Down Deal is a random way to eliminate cards. It also adds some much-needed humour to proceedings and heightens the mild peril of the bride and groom not being a love match!

Guide the bride through the same elimination deal (be ready to correct her if she makes a mistake). She’ll end up holding the King of Hearts. Make some comment about the card, such as, “Ah, the King of Hearts. He loves you!”

Do the same with the groom, who will be left with the Queen of Hearts. “The King and Queen of Hearts—a perfect pair,” you say, as you take the cards and place them side-by-side. “Was this destiny or fate? All I know is that when you find ‘the one’, all the other options simply disappear. They fade away.” Pick up the discard pile and spread the cards to reveal that they’re all blank.

Cleanup & Reset

To reset the packet, pick up the six blank cards and get a little finger break above the bottom two cards. Drop the Two of Hearts on top and slip cut it into the break. Next, drop the King and Queen on top (King on top) and spread. As you square up, get a break below the top three cards and slip cut the King into the break.

Replace the packet in your left jacket pocket or on top of the deck.

Performance Tips & Additional Ideas

Instead of asking the couple to name a two-digit number below twenty, you can do something more interactive and seemingly more random.

Begin by forcing any Seven spot on the couple; the easiest way to do so is with the trusty Cut Deeper Force. Arrange to have a Seven on top of the deck, followed by your nine-card stack. Ask the bride to cut off a small packet of cards from the top of the deck and replace them face up on top. Next, instruct the groom to “cut a little deeper” and do the same thing. Spread through the deck until you reach the first face-down card. This will be the Seven spot. Place this card to one side, as you say, “We’ll look at this card in a moment. First, I want you to roll these two dice.”

Hand a die to both participants and get them to roll it several times. Finally, have them add the number on the uppermost side of each die to the value of the cut-to card.

I absolutely love this forcing procedure because it keeps both participants busy while still producing a “randomly generated number” between nine and nineteen. If the number is nine, deal that many cards from the top of the deck. If any other two-digit number is generated, add the digits together and deal that many cards back onto the deck, i.e. perform a standard Count-Back Force. Regardless of the number generated by the couple, you’ll always end up holding your nine-card setup.

This more complicated process better conceals the restricted nature of the 10-20 Force. However, it does require you to have two dice with you as well as the cards.

Final Thoughts

You might think a packet trick like this would be less impressive than a trick such as “Soulmates in the Snow” or Dean Dill’s “Blizzard”. While I agree that the magical effect is not as strong, the trick’s hook—the “Love Me Not” ritual—is very appealing to laypeople, and the Under-Down Deal makes the trick hands-on and interactive.

What I’m saying is don’t dismiss this routine just because it is an elaborate dressing for the Count-Back Force and Under-Down Deal. It offers an entertaining and meaningful experience for the happy couple that will remain memorable for a long time (perhaps forever if you perform it on their wedding day).