Monge Shuffle Trickery
by Werner Miller

Werner Miller is a retired teacher of mathematics, whose hobbies are recreational mathematics and magic. A magical inventor and writer, Werner has produced a prolific volume of work, mostly what he calls “semi-automatic” card tricks based on mathematical principles. He is the author of "Fast von selbst", "Alles Miller oder was", "Ratatouille", more than 300 trick contributions to various magazines and web sites and more than 30 related computer programs. In addition, Werner is also a staff member of the German magazine "Magische Welt", a columnist for the British magazine "The Magician", and regular contributor here at Visions. Werner's first English-language book, Ear-Marked, is available here.

The Monge Shuffle (mentioned last month) is a valuable tool in the magician's arsenal. If you are not familiar with this mixing procedure here's a short description: Hold the packet face down in the left hand and use the thumb to push off the top card into the right. Now with the left thumb push off the next card so that it goes on top of the first one. The left thumb then pushes off a third card but this is taken on the bottom of the right's packet. The fourth goes to the top, the fifth to the bottom and so on, alternately placing the left hand's cards above and below the right's.

Here are two tricks that make use of the Monge Shuffle - probably too simple to go straight into your program but hopefully enough stimulating to make you tinker with this technique developing your own applications.

1. Caught
The spectator gets any eight cards. He shuffles them, and deals them back and forth into two equal packets. He decides on either packet, notes and remembers the bottom (face) card of that packet, and puts that packet on top of the other one.

Take the combined packet and turn the top card face up in place. Give the cards a quick Monge Shuffle. Turn the new top card over, too, and perform another Monge Shuffle. Ribbon spread the cards to show one card caught between the two face-up cards: the spectator's card.
Variation: Only seven cards are used. When the spectator deals them alternately into two smaller packets, he notes and remembers the last card, drops it on either packet and puts the other one on top.

Both versions can be made more interesting by starting with two cards less adding a face-up extra card (eg a red Jack) before each Monge Shuffle.

2. Catalyst
Sort out the four Queens, the four Kings, and the Joker. Take care that the Queens and the Kings are in identical suit order (eg C-H-S-D).

Fan the Queens, fan the Kings, and put either quartet on top of the other. Ask the spectator to cut the cards.

Show the Joker, telling something about his "special properties". Add the Joker face down to the bottom of the packet.

Perform two Monge Shuffles.

Deal the cards in pairs side by side onto the table (four pairs, one single card).

Turn all the cards face up: Each pair consists of a Queen and a King of matching suits,and the remaining single card is the Joker.

For more elaborated applications of the Monge Shuffle see my book "Ear-Marked".

Werner Miller