One of those "miracle" effects to confound the erudite with a perfect "out" in case the working goes awry is this prediction stunt. So often magi pass up the taking of chances only because they have no "other way" to get through the trick in case the spectator doesn't follow the line of least resistance.
The magician has a shuffled deck of cards and asks the spectator to cut it into three piles. He then tells the spectator to carefully make his choice of any one of the three piles, but regardless of his final selection, the third card from the top will be the "Three of Clubs". This actually happens.
In riffling the cards together when shuffling the performer gets a glimpse of the third card from the top of any pack. In order to do this artfully, riffle them naturally without looking at them until you come to the last five cards in left hand pile. Slow up slightly on your riffling; when you slow up, take a quick glance at these cards as they fall, and you'll be surprised at the ease with which you can see the cards and their position from the top. Give the deck another riffle shuffle or two, not disturbing the top stock and have the spectator cut the pack into the three piles.
Now move the piles about a bit on the table so as to confuse spectators as to which is the top one. Stop this when the top pile is either in the center or at right hand end of a spectator's reach; then explain that no matter which he selects, the third card from the top will be the ---, and name the card you noted in the shuffle.
Due to the psychological placing of the piles the spectator will pick the correct one in a great majority of the times. Tests will bear this out. And when the right one is selected, you have your miracle without further fuss or ado. However, if and when he does not select the correct pile, you have a perfect continuation.
If the spectator puts his hand on a pile not containing the glimpsed card, take out the third card from the top of that pile (but do not show it) and say "In order to prove to you that I have in no way influenced you, I want you to point to another pile, and the third card from the top of that pile will be the ---" and here you name the card that you took out of the first pile.
Count down to the third card of the second pile, take it out, place it with the first card you took out, ask the spectator what two cards you predicted were in the piles, and when he names them, turn over the two cards you hold and the trick is done.
If by chance, the second pile the spectator selects is still not the one with the glimpsed card (and which will very very rarely happen), just continue by saying that you will also name the third card of the last pile. You, of course, name the second card as that of the third you are about to take out of the last pile. Then have the three cards named and turn them over.
Strictly impromptu, the stunt is one of those which can be worked smartly with the assurance that it will really befuddle. It also gets away from the usual "take one" trend of most card mysteries.