Marucci's Bizarre Bazaar

Number of the Beast
by Peter Marucci

Effect: There has been endless debate over what – or who – is “the beast” of the Bible.

That book says 666 is the number of the Beast, and attempts through the ages have been made to connect that number with everyone from Nero to Hitler and everything from Rome to 9/11.

It has been argued that Claudius Tiberius Nero fits the description – persecutor of Christians – and attempts have been successfully made to link the numerical value of the letters of his name to 666. And I say “successfully” with a grain of salt, because it only works in English – a language that didn't exist at the time of Nero.

In the Middle Ages, up until as recently as the 1800s, it was believed that a witch could be discovered if the number 666 was found on his or her body. Many died, over the centuries, because of birthmarks or moles that could – only with considerable imagination – be construed as spelling out 666.

Let me give you a small example with this deck of playing cards. We are after a number, and would you (to a spectator) please deal a number of cards to the table. (She does so; for example, she deals l4 cards.)

Now, put the rest of the deck aside and we will just deal with the cards you dealt.

Please deal that stack into three piles, signifying past, present, and future; deal a row of three, then another, and so on until you run out of cards. (She does so, and ends up with five cards each in the first and second piles and four cards in the third pile.)

This card, from a Tarot deck, will represent the Beast. (Produce a Devil card from a Tarot deck, with 666 written across the face of it.)

We will place this “Beast” card near the three piles. Remember, I never touched the cards (not quite true, but the audience will believe you). You selected a number that you didn't even know before you came up here. You dealt that many cards off the deck, and you dealt that packet into three piles. Now, for the first time, will you reveal the top card of each pile.

(She does so and each one is a six, for 666 – the number of the Beast)

Working: There isn't a single sleight in this entire presentation. So you can focus entirely on the performance.

The three sixes (any suits) are on the top of the deck from the beginning. If you insist on putting a sleight into the routine, you can do a false shuffle or cut here, keeping the sixes on top.

When the spectator deals the cards to the table (say, 14) the sixes are now the bottom three.

When she deals that packet into three piles, the sixes end up on top. What happens, you ask, if the number picked isn't divisible by three? It doesn't matter, as our example with 14 shows.

At this point, you can bring out the Beast card, (the Devil card, from a Tarot deck) with 666 written on it; then ask the spectator – or another one – to turn over the top card on each pile.

They will be 6, 6, and 6.

Second thoughts: This is a very powerful routine and all the facts are true.

There are no knuckle-crunching sleights involved and you don't have to spend a jillion dollars on “stuff”. So you will have it pretty much to yourself because all the wannabes are crazy for sleights or spending money.

Enjoy.

Peter Marucci