A deck of cards, a notebook and a "four color" pen are brought to the spectator's attention who examines and shuffles the cards. The spectator is then invited to note down in the notebook a card of his choice (e.g. : 39) and to write it in the color of his choice (e.g. : green). Any of the 208 possible combinations (that is 52 cards x4 colors) can be chosen (no force).

The magician then takes the deck of cards and removes the one freely chosen by the spectator (ex.: 39). On its back, this card bears an inscription in thick letters that corresponds to the chosen color (e.g.: green). The magician spreads out the rest of the deck on the table, demonstrating that the faces are all different (no other 3 of 9) and that no other card's back has an inscription (the deck may be inspected again). To conclude, the magician states that he already knew, long before, what the spectator's choice would be. The magician then takes his prediction out of the notebook which corresponds once again to the card chosen by the spectator.