Everything changes when he hears a legend about an old who possesses a supernatural secret: a sequence of three cards— three, seven, and ace —that never fail to win at faro.

: He bets his entire fortune on what he believes is the ace . However, when he flips the card, it is the Queen of Spades . To his horror, the Queen seems to wink at him, bearing the mocking face of the dead Countess.

: He confronts the Countess in her bedroom, pleading for the secret. When she remains silent, he threatens her with a pistol; the terrified old woman dies of a heart attack on the spot.

: On the night of her funeral, the Countess's ghost appears to Hermann. She reveals the secret cards: the three , the seven , and the ace , on the condition that he never plays more than one card a day and marries Lizaveta.