Any Card At Any Number

Any Card At Any Number is a classic card effect where the name of any card is given, along with any number. The selected card is then revealed to be at that position in the deck. Often referred to as ACAAN.

Some versions of the routine use 2 decks and many use a Stack.

This effect has become associated with David Berglas and known as the "Berglas Effect". It places four strict criteria on the routine:

1. The deck of cards are in full view at the start and never touched by the magician
2. The spectator has a free choice of any of the 52 cards
3. The spectator or another spectator has a free choice of any number
4. The spectator or another spectator counts down the cards

A variation on the plot is to have a previously selected card end up at any number in the deck.

Notable Routines

• Any Card At Any Number by Bob Thrasher, Linking Ring, Vol. 21, no. 6, page 30, August, 1941. It's not really an ACAAN. It's the well known 21-Card Trick done with 27 cards and a table which permits to place the thinking card at the number chosen between 1 and 27 (after three deals).
• The David Berglas File No. 1 (1976)
• Deckalogue by T.A. Waters (1982)
• Cardiact by T.A. Waters (1984)
• At the Table by Jon Racherbaumer (1984)
• Romeo and Juliet by Alain Nu in his Nu2U Lecture Notes (1986)
• David Regal's Star Quality: The Magic of David Regal written by Harry Lorayne (1987)
• 2 methods in The Aronson Approach by Simon Aronson (1990)
• Ken Krenzel's Close-Up Impact written by Stephen Minch (1990)
• Alain Nu's book Any Card... (2007).
• Any Card at Any Number by Rick Merrill in Genii 2007 July

References

• http://www.geniimagazine.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=160937
• http://www.geniimagazine.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Forum=2&topic=000178