(Solution)

Whoa--I Know Prestidigitation!

"That's some pretty fancy shuffling!"

"Thank you. Is this your card?"

Take a fresh deck of Bicycle cards and remove the jokers and advertising cards. Manipulate the deck according to the following key:

0 = perfect shuffle (top card goes 2nd, bottom goes 2nd from bottom)
1 = put top card on the bottom
2 = discard top card
3 = exchange top and bottom cards
4 = flip top card over

After that, turn the deck over and spread the cards out.

0212022021240220220224021414120412202202120241240220214201241201212024201111412240111220211142411341313131314313143143413131411341131311131313131431111141431114313143131341111113111313413143413411111134111314314131311141111141313411431434114111141411413113143111111111111313111111111114113411111111141411131414111411111141134111414111111111311114141114111141311141111111111

Saturday evening note:

Apparently we were unaware that, within the Matrix, decks of Bicycle cards show more variation than they do in reality. (We have several packs here on the Nebudchanezzar and they all look the same.)

If you're having trouble learning prestidigitation, you may want a standard-issue Bicycle deck, which would have cards in the following order, top down in a face-down deck:

Ace through King of hearts
Ace through King of clubs
King through Ace of diamonds
King through Ace of spades


(That is to say, AH, 2H, 3H, ..., KH, AC, 2C, ..., KC, KD, QD...)

If there was any question, the trick is done with the deck face-down.


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