The following method of consulting one's luck must have been attempted
many millions of times, but it is not known so well now as it was a
century ago. The first thing is to shuffle a full pack thoroughly.
This, of course, must be done by the person whose luck is being tested.
And then, it is necessary that he or she cuts with the left hand.
After these preliminaries, someone takes the pack and deals the cards
one at a time, face downwards, on to the table, placing them in a
heap. The consultant who is seeking to find out what the Fates are
determining should really be blindfolded, but this is unnecessary if
the cards are new and cannot be recognized by any markings on the backs.
The consultant has to choose any three cards as they are being slowly
dealt. They can be three cards coming together, or widely separated, or
just as he or she fancies.
As each card is selected, it is set aside and, when the three are
chosen, not before, they are turned face up and arranged in the order
of selection. Each card from one to nine stands for its own value, but
tens and all court cards stand for nought. Thus, if the three cards are
a seven, a ten and a five, the mystic number derived from them is 705.
The final step is to find out if the mystic number is divisible either
by seven or by three. If the total is divisible by either of these
numbers, then there is good luck awaiting the consultant; if the total
is divisible by both seven and three, the luck is doubled. On the
other hand, should there be a remainder when dividing, bad luck is not
claimed.