Surefire Soulmates

This trick uses a Piquet pack, a reduced thirty-two-card version of the standard French-suited deck of playing cards. The name is derived from the game of Piquet (pronounced “PK”), which was commonly played in Britain, France, and other parts of Europe until the 20th century. In the Netherlands, it is known as a Jass pack, after the game of the same name. The famous Austrian card conjurer, Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser, performed many of his incredible feats of card magic with a Piquet pack.

Lithography by August Prinzhofer (1817–1885). Image Credit: Peter Geymayer via Wikimedia Commons.

Using a smaller deck has several inherent advantages, especially with a trick like this one, which involves a lot of dealing. While experimenting with different handlings using a full, fifty-two-card deck, I found that the dealing took far too long when a large lucky number was named. Using a thirty-two-card deck reduces the dealing to a manageable level and justifies the limited choice of lucky number (a two-digit number below thirty).

JUMP AHEAD

On This Page

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

Effect

You introduce the Piquet pack by explaining that the renowned Austrian magician Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser often performed many of his most famous tricks with a thirty-two-card deck.

You ask a spectator to name any two-digit number below thirty. Let’s suppose they say, “twenty-five.” You then give your participant the choice of dealing cards from either the top or the bottom of the deck. Let’s say they choose the bottom. You turn the deck face up and deal twenty-five cards into a single face-up pile on the table. The two digits are added together, and the total is dealt back onto the deck (in this case, 2 + 5 = 7). The top card of the deck is turned over, and it’s the King of Clubs.

A “love me, love me not” elimination process is carried out on the remaining cards, leaving the participant with a single card: the Queen of Clubs!

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.

Requirements & Preparation

A Piquet pack can be formed from a standard fifty-two-card pack by simply removing the Twos, Threes, Fours, Fives and Sixes (twenty cards in total) and any Jokers (if present).

Arrange the thirty-two cards with the Kings and Queen in the following positions:

• 7th - King of Hearts
• 10th - Queen of Hearts
• 14th - King Clubs
• 19th - Queen of Clubs
• 23rd - King of Diamonds
• 26th - Queen of Diamonds

From the top down, the deck should be in the following order (the Xs indicate any indifferent card): X-X-X-X-X-X-KH-X-X-QH-X-X-X-KC-X-X-X-X-QC-X-X-X-KD-X-X-QD-X-X-X-X-X-X.

Method & Presentation

Begin by introducing the concept of soulmates. I like to say something like, “Do you believe in soulmates? The idea that somewhere out there is the one perfect person for us all?” This is usually enough to get people discussing their thoughts on the matter. Give them time to do this.

Then say, “The famous Austrian magician Johann Hofzinser, who performed with a thirty-two-card Piquet pack just like this, believed that finding your soulmate was like locating one specific card in a deck. But he didn’t think it was luck—he felt it was destiny, guided by numbers.

“We need a number that’s unique to you. Not just any number, but a ‘fated number’. What two-digit number below thirty feels lucky or important to you?”

After your participant names a two-digit number, reply, “Twenty-five. Perfect. Now, you also have a choice: this fated journey can begin from the top of the deck, or from the bottom. Which do you prefer? Do you want to count from the top, with the cards face down? Or from the bottom, with the cards face up?” 

This choice makes no difference to the trick’s outcome. However, it solidifies your participant’s sense of agency. If your helper wants you to deal off the bottom, turn the deck face-up and complete the trick with the cards remaining in this position until the end. If not, keep the cards face down throughout.

Whatever number is named, you’ll now perform the classic Count-Back Force. Say, “Please deal twenty-five cards, one for each step of the journey, into a pile right here.”

Put the deck down and pick up the pile. Say, “But fate is never a straight line, is it? The old mystics believed the true path was hidden inside the number. Your number was twenty-five. What’s two plus five? ...Seven. Let’s trace the path back seven steps.”

Instruct your helper to deal seven cards back onto the deck. As they do this, say, “Twenty-five steps forward, and seven steps back!” This line emphasises the apparent random nature of the process.

“The winding path of life leads you to... this one person.”

Tell your participant to turn over the top card of the deck (if the cards are face up, there is no need to do this). This card will always be a King if the cards are dealt face down, or a Queen if the cards are dealt face up.

“The King of Clubs. A strong and silent type. A steady partner. Let’s see who he’s looking for. She’s here, in this crowd…” Gesture toward the small packet left in your participant’s hand. “All these other possibilities. We’re looking for his perfect match. This is the ‘love me, love me not’ part of the journey. One by one, we’ll rule out the wrong matches… until we’re left with just one.”

With the remaining cards, guide the participant through an Under-Down (Duck and Deal) elimination process. Each time a card is “ducked” (slid under the packet), instruct your participant to say, “She loves me…” (or “He loves me...” if searching for a King). Then, when a card is dealt to the table, they should recite, “She loves me not…” or “He loves me not...” This will always result in your volunteer holding the King or Queen that matches the face-up card on the deck.

Finish by saying, “After ruling out everyone else, only one person remains... the one person the King was destined to be with—the Queen of Clubs!”

Cleanup & Reset

No cleanup is required, and resetting the cards is problematic when completed in front of an audience (to the point where I wouldn’t bother). For this reason, I think “Surefire Soulmates” works best as an opening effect.

Performance Tips & Additional Ideas

If you’re doing this for a couple, such as a bride and groom at their wedding, you can ensure that the bride receives the King and the groom the Queen. Give the cards to the bride first if the couple decide to deal from the top, but to the groom first if the couple chooses to deal from the bottom (with the deck held face up). If you don’t see value in giving people the choice of dealing from the top or bottom, you can always keep the deck face down and follow “ladies first” etiquette every time.

I enjoy tricks that use a reduced (or “stripped”) deck, like the Pique pack. The slimmer deck often makes sleight-of-hand techniques much easier to perform, especially for beginners who may not yet have developed the muscle strength needed to execute certain moves well with a full fifty-two-card deck.

Final Thoughts

This is a simple yet highly effective coincidence effect with an enchanting presentation, suitable for all kinds of romantic situations. While you’re not guaranteed to find the King and Queen of Hearts, you’ll always end up with a King and a Queen, making this a guaranteed piece of coincidental magic!

But Wait... There’s More!

Want to learn more card tricks that you can perform with a Piquet pack? Take a look at my Piquet Pack Series (you’ll need to add one Joker to the deck for some of these tricks to work correctly).