i saw this trick a while ago (before i started magic) and i need to know what that trick is. im not sure if i remember it correctly, but...

the spectator shuffles the deck, then they cut the deck. the magician pulls out a paper that says something like there will be x number of red cards and x number of black cards in one half. (can you tell im taking algebra?':cry:') then they shuffle again and then he says cut it again and there will be x number of cards in one half and x number of cards in the other half AND all of the cards are black. all of the cards are black except one and then when the paper is unfolded, there is a picture of the card printed on the paper.

thanks everyone

Sounds like "Jeopardy" from Paul Green's In the Trenches with Paul Green, by Paul Green. I also saw it taught in Lennart Green's lecture notes, "The Green Northern Lights Magic".

"Jeopardy" is one version. Colombini's "Pre-Deck-Ability" is another. Both trace their roots back to Simon Aronson's "Shuffle-Bored."

This

i found out what it was, it is called shuffleboard. great trick but requires more set up than i would like.

Did you look into 'Jeopardy'? It may not be the exact handling as 'Shuffleboard' but you might find that you like it better because of this.

I don't recall off the top of my head, but Green's lecture notes have I think two other methods for Shuffleboard that require little to no setup.

is it this one?
http://www.penguinmagic.com/specialorde ... hp?ID=3689

also, can you but jeopardy without buying the whole dvd? just the instructions and the gimmick.

does anyone own both? which one is better?

http://www.gycklaren.com/start.asp?arti ... +the+World

Before you buy it, I'll go and see exactly what it covers.

EDIT: He teaches four different versions; they're all very similar but have their own twists. The first is the standard presentation that I always use, and very similar to the one shown on the In The Trenches DVD, except with a different outcome (i.e. how many cards are face-up/face-down/red/black etc.). The second version is simply an alternative handling in case you perform the trick again. The third is an impromptu version but the catch is that you're much less specific in your prediction: you can predict how many cards are face-up/down and that there are more red cards in one half than there are black cards in the other. The fourth version involves having two spectators picking cards and then you predict whether they'll be face-up or face-down at the end.

Personally, once you're comfortable with the trick, you can alter it in a bunch of different ways to suit your needs. If you're good with maths you should be able to use a borrowed deck and say how many cards are face-up/down and how many are red/black, and possibly also how many are clubs/spades.

On his DVDs, Green teaches a way to organise cards very efficiently and surreptitiously while running through the deck. I've used this dozens of times to prepare decks for tricks like this, and no-one's the wiser.