Raffle of Romance
This trick started life as another way to disguise the Count-Back Force using raffle tickets. You know, the type used at village fĂȘtes or in cloakrooms to keep track of which coat belongs to whom.
In the end, I decided to eliminate the Count-Back Force procedure entirely because the raffle tickets offered a subtle way to force two numbers without any extra mathematical gymnastics.
Given the use of multiple props—a tombola (a clear bowl filled with raffle tickets), a love token deck, and a wedding gift for the happy couple to share—this routine is designed to play big and entertain everyone at the wedding.
JUMP AHEAD
On This Page
Effect
Background & Credits
Requirements & Preparation
Method & Presentation
Cleanup & Reset
Performance Tips & Additional Ideas
Final Thoughts
Effect
You’re performing at Jane and Edward’s wedding.
You begin by presenting the happy couple with an exquisitely wrapped wedding gift. You tell them that they can open it at the end of the routine. You then bring out a pack of love token cards: an old deck in which each card features a different romantic pledge, promise, or household duty written on the back. You explain that these cards cover everything from “Breakfast in Bed” to “A Passionate Kiss”.
To make the selection fair, the bride and groom draw tickets from a tombola (a box, bag, or bowl containing raffle tickets).
The bride selects a pink ticket. She adds the digits to create a single- or double-digit number, e.g., seven. You count seven cards down from the face of the deck and hand her the Ace of Hearts. You turn it over to reveal the handwritten promise: “Sensual Body Massage”.
The groom selects a blue ticket. He adds the digits, generating fifteen. You count fifteen cards down and hand him the King of Clubs. You turn it over to reveal his prize: “Nice Cup of Tea”.
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| The bride and groom with their gifts. Image Credit: Marty’s Bag of Tricks. |
The audience laughs at the disparity. You say, “I knew it! Open your gift.” The bride and groom open the gift to reveal a bottle of luxury massage oil for her and a single tea bag for him! You conclude by handing them the love token deck and saying, “This is yours to keep as well—you’ve got fifty more promises to fight over!”
Background & Credits
This trick began life as another way to handle the Count-Back Force in an effect in which two spectators locate the King and Queen of Hearts in a blank-faced deck. Inspiration struck while watching an episode of Worzel Gummidge with my three daughters—the newer series starring Mackenzie Crook (see Series 1, Episode 2: “The Green Man”, 2019). In one scene, the mischievous “Scarecrow of Scatterbrook” wins a book of raffle tickets at a local fĂȘte. I decided that having one of ten raffle tickets selected would be a good way to disguise the limited nature of the 10-20 Force. However, after playing with the idea, I managed to make the process both more deceptive and direct, eliminating the need for the Count-Back Force entirely.
Requirements & Preparation
To perform this effect, you will need to prepare three distinct elements: the wedding gift, the raffle tickets, and the love token deck. You will need the following props and materials:
- A gift box
- Wrapping paper, Cellotape (adhesive tape) and scissors
- A hole punch
- Some string and ribbon
- A bottle of massage oil
- A box of tea bags
- A book of raffle tickets
- A clear box, bag or bowl to hold the raffle tickets
- An old deck of cards
- A black permanent marker, e.g., a Sharpie
- Pink: 007, 016, 025, 034, 043, 052, 061, 070, 106, 115, 124, 133, 142, 151, 160, 205, 214, 223, 232, 241, 250, 304, 313, 322, 331, 340, 403, 412, 421, 430.
- Blue: 015, 069, 078, 087, 096, 159, 168, 177, 186, 195, 249, 258, 267, 276, 285, 294, 339, 348, 357, 366, 375, 384, 393, 429, 438, 447, 456, 465, 474, 483, 492.
Take the old deck and write the following text on the back of each card (adjust according to your preference and intended audience):
- Ace of Clubs: Get Out of Jail Free Card
- Two of Clubs: Washing Up Exemption
- Three of Clubs: Cocktail of Your Choice
- Four of Clubs: Bin/Trash Duty Pass
- Five of Clubs: Designated Driver
- Six of Clubs: Spider Removal Service
- Seven of Clubs: A Romantic Meal for Two
- Eight of Clubs: Laundry Duty Pass
- Nine of Clubs: Ironing Service
- Ten of Clubs: Control of TV Remote
- Jack of Clubs: Automatic Win in Argument
- Queen of Clubs: Foot Rub
- King of Clubs: Nice Cup of Tea (groom’s force card)
- Ace of Hearts: Sensual Body Massage (bride’s force card)
- Two of Hearts: Passionate Kiss
- Three of Hearts: Breakfast in Bed
- Four of Hearts: Candlelit Bath for Two
- Five of Hearts: Slow Dance in the Moonlight
- Six of Hearts: Sexy Shower Together
- Seven of Hearts: A 30-Minute Cuddle Session
- Eight of Hearts: Date Night (Your Choice)
- Nine of Hearts: Roleplay Night (Your Choice)
- Ten of Hearts: Quickie in the Kitchen
- Jack of Hearts: Striptease
- Queen of Hearts: Fantastic Foreplay
- King of Hearts: Romantic Weekend Away
- Ace of Spades: Dirty Night In
- Two of Spades: Movie Night Control
- Three of Spades: Picnic in the Park
- Four of Spades: Sunset Walk
- Five of Spades: Concert Tickets
- Six of Spades: Tech-Free Evening
- Seven of Spades: Trip to the Pub
- Eight of Spades: Stargazing Night
- Nine of Spades: Road Trip
- Ten of Spades: Bowling Night
- Jack of Spades: Board Game Night
- Queen of Spades: Camping in the Living Room
- King of Spades: Lovely Long Lazy Lie-In
- Ace of Diamonds: Surprise Gift
- Two of Diamonds: Takeaway (Your Choice)
- Three of Diamonds: Bottle of Bubbly
- Four of Diamonds: Chocolates on Pillows
- Five of Diamonds: Fresh Flowers
- Six of Diamonds: Coffee Delivery
- Seven of Diamonds: New Lingerie/Underwear
- Eight of Diamonds: Lottery Ticket (Split the Winnings)
- Nine of Diamonds: Shopping Spree
- Ten of Diamonds: Luxury Taxi Ride
- Jack of Diamonds: Boozy Night Out
- Queen of Diamonds: Dessert Before Dinner
- King of Diamonds: Last Slice of Pizza
Method & Presentation
The props practically do the trick for you! However, you need to spend time developing a compelling script.
Introduce the beautifully wrapped gift and place it prominently on the table as you say, “I wanted to give you both a wedding gift. Don’t open it yet—we’ll do that in a minute.”
Introduce the special deck of love token cards: “I have another gift for you both. It’s a handmade deck of ‘love token cards’. On the back of every single card, I have written a different promise, chore, or treat. Some are romantic, some are practical, some are a little naughty and some... well, some are just hard work!”
Spread the cards and read out some of the prizes aloud. This should elicit a few muffled giggles and raised eyebrows among your audience. Explain how the deck works: “The deck has been constructed to ensure fair play. The rules are simple: If you pick a card, you win that prize. But here is the catch—your partner is contractually obligated to provide it!”
Hand the cards to the bride and ask her to shuffle them. Once she’s done this, take them back and run through them face down until you locate the first force card (labelled “Sensual Massage”). Sight count seven cards, including the force card, then casually cut the cards as you comment on some of the prizes. Place the deck face up on the table.
To determine their fate, the couple selects two raffle tickets from the tombola: “Ladies first. Please pick a pink ticket from the tombola to find your lucky number. If you get a number greater than fifty-two, we’ll add the digits together to make a smaller number.”
She picks any pink ticket and sums the digits to seven. (The result will always be seven, no matter what ticket is chosen.)
“Number seven? Perfect. Let’s count down to the seventh card.”
Count seven cards face up into a pile on the table. Hand her the last card dealt (Ace of Hearts).
“The Ace of Hearts. The card of passion! Turn it over… what have you won?”
She reads “Sensual Body Massage.”
“Fantastic!” you reply. “That means you get to lie down and relax... and Edward has to do all the work. A great start to your marriage, wouldn’t you say?”
Gather up all of the cards and hand them to the groom, who gives them a good shuffle. When he hands them back, spread through the cards until you reach the second force card (labelled “Nice Cup of Tea”), sight count fifteen cards, then casually cut the cards as you continue to talk about the various gifts on offer. Put the deck face up on the table.
Turn to the groom and say, “Right, your turn. Edward, please pick any blue ticket.” He picks a ticket and sums the digits to fifteen. (The result will always be fifteen.)
Say, “Number fifteen. Let’s count down to your card.”
Resume the deal, counting fifteen cards face up onto the pile of six cards already on the table. Hand him the last card dealt (King of Clubs), and say, “The King of Clubs. A strong, practical card. Turn it over… what have you won?”
He reads “Nice Cup of Tea.” (Pause for laughter).
“Well, don’t look so disappointed! It’s the fuel that keeps this country running. Jane has to go and make you a brew whenever you demand it. Don’t get too excited, though. The card is only good for one cup, though!”
“So, Jane gets a sensual massage, and Edward gets a brew. It seems the cards know exactly how this marriage is going to work!”
Wait for the laughter to die down, then continue, “Well, this is exactly as I predicted. Now, you might think this is just a funny coincidence. But remember, I bought this gift yesterday.”
To finish, the couple unwrap their wedding present to reveal the physical gifts: a bottle of luxury massage oil for Jane and a tea bag for Edward. Once the couple have opened their gift, turn to them and say, “It seems I knew exactly what was going to happen! To ensure you can fulfil your contractual obligations immediately... here is a bottle of luxury massage oil and, well, a single tea bag. Go on, Jane, put the kettle on! And while she’s making you your cup of tea, you’d better start warming up your hands!”
Cleanup & Reset
Since the climax of the routine involves the spectators unwrapping a gift, this effect is designed primarily as a “one-off” feature effect for a specific event, such as a wedding reception.
However, if you intend to perform this at a venue where you might repeat it (for instance, at a wedding fair or a residency), you will need to prepare multiple pre-wrapped gift boxes containing a small bottle of massage oil and a single tea bag.
Alternatively, you could use a “magic gift box” or a drawer box that allows you to produce the items without destroying the packaging, though this diminishes the charm of the “genuine gift” presentation. This approach might work well when performing for multiple audiences at a wedding fair.
To reset the effect, retrieve the Ace of Hearts and the King of Clubs from the spectators. Gather the cards dealt onto the table during the performance. Gather up the cards and give them a shuffle. Return the used raffle tickets to the tombola and mix them in with the others.
Performance Tips & Additional Ideas
While using raffle tickets and converting an old deck of regular playing cards into a “love token deck” works well and lends a certain charm to the routine, you may prefer to buy a deck of blank-faced playing cards for a more professional look. Write (or even print) the prizes on the blank faces of the cards. This approach would also enable you to force the two cards using more traditional card magic methods. One idea I like is to use the placement principle from Karl Fulves’ “Gemini Twins” with the face-up King and Queen of Hearts to force the required gifts (position the force cards on the top and bottom of the deck). The King ends up paired with “Nice Cup of Tea” and the Queen with “Sensual Massage”; see Easy Does It #7: Simplex Soulmates for an alternative handling that you can repeat, allowing the cards to be shuffled by the bride and groom before they make their “random” selection.
Alternatively, avoid using a deck of cards altogether and just print a numbered list of gifts, placing the force prizes at positions seven and fifteen. If you go down this route, I’d write the list in fancy handwriting with a calligraphy pen and store it in a red envelope. The list can then be given to the bride and groom along with the tea bag and massage oil. You could even switch in a different set of raffle tickets, each resolving to a different number (omitting the two tickets for the force numbers), and leave them with the newlyweds so they can play the game again with a different outcome using the “same” (?) set of raffle tickets.
The main benefit of using a worn-out deck is that it is an inexpensive solution and can be left with the couple as a souvenir, one they’re very likely to keep and perhaps use again. The deck will serve as a reminder of the card magic you performed on their wedding day. In this way, it functions as a very effective marketing tool.
If you like arts and crafts, you can even hole punch each card and thread them together with a red ribbon, which you can untie before performing the trick.
| How to Make an Easy Valentine’s Gift with Playing Cards. Video Credit: Tesco via YouTube. |
The list of messages provided in the Requirements & Preparation section is merely a starting point. One of this routine’s strengths is its adaptability. If you know the couple well, or if you have a consultation with them before the big day, you can customise the love token cards to reflect their specific hobbies and inside jokes. For example, if the groom is a golf fanatic, the Two of Clubs could grant him “One Guilt-Free Golf Weekend”. If the bride hates cooking, the Ten of Spades could be a “Takeaway Night Pass”.
Be mindful of your audience when writing the messages. While “Striptease” and “Quickie in the Kitchen” usually get a good laugh, they might not be appropriate at a family wedding (especially if you know young children will be in earshot). You can easily ignore the raunchy cards, leaving them for the bride and groom to discover later. Or you can tone them down, e.g., “Romantic Walk” or “Movie Night Cuddle,” without losing the trick’s overall impact.
The method relies on the mathematical principle of digital roots. Every pink ticket sums to seven, and every blue ticket sums to fifteen. You do not need to worry about which ticket is drawn; the math works automatically. This allows you to focus entirely on your presentation. Encourage the spectators to dig deep into the tombola to prove the selection is fair—the force is bulletproof.
To add a subtle convincer, palm a pink or blue ticket that sums to a different total. When demonstrating the procedure, reach into the bowl with the palmed ticket and produce it as if it were a random selection. You can then add up the digits as an example. This implies that the tickets hold various numbers, effectively disguising the force.
While the tea-bags-and-massage-oil joke taps into a classic British trope of domestic life, you can adapt the gifts to suit any couple. If they are coffee drinkers, swap the tea bags for a bag of gourmet beans and write “Fresh Morning Coffee” on the King of Clubs. If they prefer sweets, you could offer a box of luxury chocolates instead of the massage oil. The only requirement is that the gifts match the force cards.
For a more comedic approach that plays on the “expectations vs. reality” theme, you can replace the luxury items with two Pot Noodles, two plastic forks, a candle, a pair of Marigold rubber gloves, and a bottle of kitchen spray/cleaner.
You will need to change the text on the two force cards:
- Ace of Hearts (bride): Write “Romantic Meal for Two”.
- King of Clubs (groom): Write “A Dirty Night In”.
The script: When the bride reveals the Ace of Hearts and reads “Romantic Meal for Two”, the audience will likely expect a voucher for a nice restaurant. Turn to the groom as he reveals the King of Clubs: “And Edward, you have won ‘A Dirty Night In’. Sounds promising, doesn’t it?”
Have them open the gift together. As they pull out the Pot Noodles and the candle, you deliver the line: “There you go! A romantic meal for two. A candlelit dinner with no washing up. After all, as they say, nothing fills a hole like a Pot Noodle!”
As they discover the rubber gloves and kitchen cleaner, you deliver the punchline: “And Edward… I promised you a ‘Dirty Night In’. Get your gloves on; the kitchen isn’t going to clean itself!”
Final Thoughts
“Raffle of Romance” offers that rare combination: a routine that plays big enough for the whole room but remains intimate enough to make the bride and groom feel special. By moving away from the standard “pick a card” procedure and introducing the tombola and raffle tickets, you instantly change the texture of the performance from a puzzle to a participatory parlour game.
The true strength of this effect, however, lies in its customisation. Whether you perform it for laughs with the “Pot Noodle” variation (or something more suitable for your region) or aim for a sentimental moment with more expensive luxury gifts, the love token deck enables you to tailor your performance to the couple. This level of personalisation is a compelling selling point for potential clients. It demonstrates that you aren’t just performing tricks at them; you are creating a meaningful and memorable moment for them.
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