Do Easy Card Tricks

Performing convincing magic tricks requires cunning, quickness, and precision. It also requires lots of practice. Don’t feel discouraged if you aren’t inspiring awe and wonder in your audience when you’re just starting out. Instead, work to master some easy card tricks and build your magic repertoire from there.

Steps

Bringing the Card to the Top

  1. Practice some essential card trick skills. Every card trick practitioner out there knows how to wow an audience by “magically” revealing a top card that had seemingly been shuffled into the middle of the deck. This trick is a good introduction to the combination of quick hands, skilled fingers, timely audience distraction, and showmanship that card tricks require. Start by practicing the following two skills:
    • Take two cards from the top deck while keeping them together (so it looks like only one card was drawn).
    • Slip a card directly below the top card in the deck while the deck is behind your back for only a moment.
  2. Ask someone to "Draw a card, any card". Tell everyone to look at it. Show it to everyone. Put it under the top card, while the deck is behind your back for a magic moment, where no one can see.
    • If some protest your having the card behind your back, say it is part of the "suspense", and "it's a magic moment". This trick is just one easy Do the Flipping Picked Card Trick of the many on wikiHow.
  3. Display the deck and take the top two cards off as one. Show only the bottom card to the audience, as if that pair is one card.
  4. Ask the audience "Is this your card?" After they confirm "Yes!", put the tricky pair back on top of the deck.
  5. Take the "trick" top card off the top and place it anywhere in the deck. Remember, the picked card is now moved to the top, unknown to the audience. The audience will think that this was their card.
  6. Explain that you will bring it back to the top. You could make a fancy gesture with your hands to really play into the dramatic aspect of the trick.
  7. Turn over the top card while saying "Voilà!" It will be the chosen card. This trick usually requires only a little bit of practice, but is puzzling to the audience nonetheless.

Acing "The Four Appearing Aces"

  1. Remove the four aces from the deck and place them on top. Don't allow your spectators to see this step.
    • The best way to do this is to place the four aces on top of the deck beforehand. Bring the deck out of your pocket and transition directly into the trick without letting viewers shuffle it.
    • Do this as inconspicuously as possible. Ask, "Hey, do you guys want to see a magic trick?" and then transition right into it. The more fluid and natural you make it seem, the less the audience will question the trick.
  2. Split the deck into four even piles by dropping cards from the bottom. Your four aces should naturally end up on the top of the fourth pile.
    • Distribute the piles from left to right so that the fourth pile is to your far right.
    • Don't focus too hard on the fourth pile. Magic involves misdirection, and tricks can easily turn sour if your audience catches on to where the aces are really being kept. Keep talking to distract them a bit.
  3. Pick up the first pile and move the first three cards to the bottom. This gives the illusion that you are shuffling the deck and randomizing cards.
  4. Deal the top three cards onto the other three piles, one card per pile. Start with the pile farthest away from the aces and do the pile with the aces last.
    • Deal only one card per pile. This is especially important when you deal the aces pile, since you will need exactly three random cards above the aces for it to work.
  5. Repeat this with the other three piles. You should end by dealing the aces pile last.
    • By placing the top three cards of the aces pile on the bottom, you have now brought the aces back up to the top of the deck. When you deal them onto the top of the other piles, the top card will always be an ace.
  6. Turn over the top card in each of the four piles and reveal the four aces. If the audience reacts with disbelief, offer to perform the trick again.
    • Once you perfect this trick, switch it up by having the audience members perform the steps. Provide specific instructions for cutting the deck (don't shuffle!), shuffling piles (only the top three cards), and dealing (one card per pile). The outcome will effectively be the same. The difference is that the audience will believe your trick more because they will be duped into thinking they control the outcome.[1]

Making Card Prediction Easy

  1. Take out a standard deck of cards and ask an audience member to shuffle it. Encourage the audience member to shuffle it as many times as he or she likes. This trick is based on probability, not misdirection.
  2. Ask the audience member to name any two cards. Request just the name of the card, not the suit.
    • For example, just "king" and "ten" will do. Saying "king of spades" and "ten of hearts" is more specific and significantly reduces the probability of this trick working. If they mention suits, say something like "Hey, I'm new at this, let's just stick with "king" and "ten"" with a smile.
    • When the audience member says "king" and "ten," she is actually naming four cards of each kind since the suit is not specified. Combined, the two cards create eight total possible cards: king of diamonds, king of clubs, king of hearts, king of spades, ten of diamonds, ten of clubs, ten of hearts, ten of spades.
    • The theory is that of these eight possible cards, at least one of the kings will be next to one of the tens.[2]
  3. Position your hand over the top of the cards and pretend to concentrate hard. Wait about 30 seconds to a minute before continuing with the trick. This helps build the illusion that you actually have something to do with the cards being drawn to each other.
    • This is the only real physical gesture you will make during this trick. Try to have as little to do physically with the trick as possible. This will strengthen the notion that you really performed the illusion.
  4. Tell the audience member to flip over the deck of cards and fan through it. Amazingly, the two cards will (hopefully) appear together somewhere in the deck!
    • Sometimes, there may be a card separating a king and a ten. If this occurs, simply tell the audience that you didn't concentrate hard enough. Perform the trick over and take your chances that the two cards will end up next to each other.[2]
  5. Find the two cards and point them out to the audience. Don't actually touch the cards, otherwise the audience may think you've secretly placed a hidden card next to another.

Guessing the Bottom Card

  1. Hold a deck of cards face-down in one hand. Show the audience that the deck you're holding is just a normal pack of cards.
    • Show them all the cards to help them believe. You can also shuffle the deck or allow audience members to shuffle the deck before you start the trick.
  2. Glance at the bottom card of the deck before holding the cards face-down again. Make sure it's just a quick peek that no one will notice. You will need to remember this card because you will recite it as you show the audience later.
    • Say to yourself in your head, "Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds" (or whatever the card is). This will help you remember the card as you proceed with the trick.
  3. Ask the audience to stop you as you skim through the cards. This reinforces the illusion that they are in charge of the trick.
    • Hold the deck face down in one hand. Place the thumb of your other hand underneath the deck. Use the first two fingers of that same hand to pull the cards from the top slightly towards you.
    • If you’ve gone through more than about one fourth of the deck without being stopped, slow down a bit and joke with the audience to see if you can get someone to stop you. This will make drawing the card from the bottom easier.
  4. Slide cards off both the top and bottom of the deck in one motion. Use your index and middle finger to pull the selected cards from the top of the deck into your hand.[3]
    • At the same time, use your thumb underneath the deck to draw the bottom card into that hand. With practice, it will slide unnoticed into the bottom position of the pulled stack of cards.
    • Remember, this bottom card is the one you memorized earlier and will soon reveal as the “guessed” card.
  5. Show the audience the bottom of the pulled deck while holding it away from you. For a better effect, close your eyes or look away as you show the audience the bottom card.
  6. Ask the audience, "Is the bottom card the Ace of Diamonds?" They should be bewildered that you successfully guessed their card.

Perfecting "Pick a Card, Any Card"

  1. Fan out a deck of cards while holding them face-down. You don't have to shuffle the deck, although doing so may put the audience members at ease.
  2. Ask a volunteer to pick any card out of the deck. Be patient, because the longer you give the volunteer to pick a card, the more confident they will become that you won't be able to guess it.
    • To help convince the audience, avert your gaze away from the cards as they select. Many audience members assume that guessing tricks are dependent on fancy card counting tricks. While some tricks are, this one is much simpler.
  3. Cut the deck into two stacks after the card is pulled. Place one stack in the right hand and one in the left. Your audience member will most likely choose a card from the middle, so split the cards in a slightly different place from where that card was.
  4. Tell the volunteer to remember the card and place it on top of the pile in your left hand. Speak slowly, confidently, and clearly.
    • Don't rush the volunteer, otherwise the audience may think you've memorized the card beforehand.
  5. Look at the bottom card of the right-hand half of the deck very briefly. While you won't be reciting this card, you will be using it as a reference to find the volunteer's card.
  6. Sandwich the audience member's card between the two halves of the deck. Be sure that you place the right-hand half of the deck on top, as this will be the card that is right next to the volunteer's card.
  7. Spread the cards out on the table face-up. Try to spot the reference card as quickly as possible.
    • Spread the deck out sequentially. The best way to do this is to set the deck down on the left and use your right hand to gently guide them over to the right. The end result should resemble a rainbow.
    • The reference card should be on the left-hand side of the volunteer's card. Whichever card is immediately to the right of the card you memorized should be the audience member's card.
    • Avoid spreading the cards quickly and sloppily. You might accidentally ruin the reference card's position, throwing off the entire trick.
    • You can use your fingers to sort through them, but try not to stop and stare at each card. This might clue in the audience members to what you have actually done.
  8. Pick the card out of the spread deck and ask the volunteer, "Is this your card?" Although this is a question, ask confidently, almost in a cocky manner.
    • Make the audience think you knew exactly which card they were going to pick before they did. This will make it seem like you have psychic prediction powers when really you just have a really solid memory.

Handling Handkerchief Prediction

  1. Look at the top card of the deck and memorize it. For example, "ace of spades" or "seven of hearts."[4]
    • Do this part of the trick out of sight of the audience. It will be more convincing if you pull the cards straight out of your pocket and go directly into the demonstration.
  2. Set the deck face-down, then place a handkerchief over it. Make sure your audience sees the cards facing down before you place the handkerchief over it.
    • For the best effect, make sure the handkerchief is as opaque (non see-through) as possible.
    • Using a handkerchief is a means of distraction. People will assume that the trick is based on visual cues and will dismiss the possibility of you having memorized the card prior.
  3. Turn the deck face-up as you place the handkerchief over it. Be sure you do this while the cards are concealed. Turning the cards too soon will reveal the truth behind the trick.
    • Try to do this as stealthily and quickly as possible. Make placing the handkerchief and flipping the cards one fluid motion so that people only see what is happening on the surface.
  4. Ask an audience member to cut the deck in half while the handkerchief is over it. The volunteer will place the top half of the deck on the other side of the bottom half. Be sure you keep track of which is which and keep the cards concealed.
    • Ask the audience member to only cut the deck in half, not shuffle it.
    • Turning the cards face-up makes the bottom half of the deck become the top. This is important because when you ask the volunteer to cut the deck in half, they will mistakenly believe they are removing the top half when actually it is the bottom.
  5. Bring the real top half of the deck out of the handkerchief while turning the cards face-down. The real top half should contain the top card that you memorized earlier. This is slightly tricky but should be convincing if you make the focus all about the handkerchief.
    • Only remove the top half of the deck. Leave the handkerchief over the bottom half of the deck, which will still be face-up.
    • Wave the hand that will be holding the handkerchief. Try to use fancy gestures to distract the audience from your other hand, which will be turning the cards over.
  6. Ask the audience member to pull the top card from the deck you pulled out. Instruct them to show other members the card without showing you.
    • This is secretly still the top card of the deck, but the audience will think it came from the middle.
  7. Say the name of the card after everyone has seen it. Listen as people gasp in disbelief.
  8. Pull the rest of the deck out of the handkerchief while turning them face-down. Do this while the audience is still figuring out how you did the trick.
    • Chances are people will want to inspect the other half of the cards after the trick is done. Give them no reason to question whether or not you flipped them under the handkerchief.

Mastering “The Eights End Up Together”

  1. Position the eights in the deck beforehand. Pull all four eights from the deck. With the deck face down, put one eight on the top of the stack. Place the second eight in the tenth position (that is, count nine cards down, including the top eight).
    • Turn the deck over and count seven cards. Place the final two eights in the eighth and ninth positions. Turn the deck back over. Now you’re ready to go.
  2. Convince the audience that you’re plucking out a random card. Make a big show while fingering through the deck and telling the crowd that you’ll be making a prediction.
    • Fan through the deck once or twice while talking to the audience, then restack the deck.
    • Start fanning cards from one hand the the other, secretly counting to ten. Don’t look at the cards — look at the audience and keep talking. When you get to the tenth card, place your index finger underneath and continue fanning out the deck.
    • Pull out the tenth card (one of the eights) and place it face down on the table. Tell them this is your prediction card.
  3. Flip the deck over. Tell the audience you will be counting through the cards. Pass beyond the two eights in the eighth and ninth positions before telling an audience member “Now you can tell me when to stop.”
  4. Create two piles when the spectator tells you to stop. Place them face down on the table. Place the bottom half of the deck (where the eights are in the eighth and ninth positions) to the right, and the top half of the deck (with the eight on top) to the left.
  5. Flip over the top card of the pile on the left. This will be the eight you placed originally. Look at this card and identify it: “Look, it’s the eight of [name the suit].”
    • Then, tell the audience that the eight indicates how many cards you should take from the deck on the right
  6. Count out eight cards from the bottom of the deck on the right. Keep the deck face down. Place these cards in a third pile. Put the third pile on the table (along with the pile that was on the left). Keep the other pile in your hand, face down.
    • Make sure the audience is following. Count out loud “One, two, three, …” as you create the new pile. Remind them that you now have three piles and that one eight is visible.
  7. Reveal the other eights. Turn over the top card of the pile you just put on the table. It will be an eight. Place it on the table next to the first revealed eight.
    • Then, turn over the pile in your hand and reveal another eight. Place it on the table with the other two.
    • Finally, after building up a bit of anticipation, dramatically flip over your prediction card (which has been on the table face down this whole time). Or, have a spectator make the flip.
    • Expect to see some priceless reactions; this trick fools a lot of people!



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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.goodtricks.net/aces-card-cut-trick.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.goodtricks.net/super-card-trick.html
  3. ↑ http://www.lessonpaths.com/learn/i/card-tricks-for-beginners/guess-a-card-bottom-card
  4. ↑ http://www.goodtricks.net/blindfolded-card-magic-trick.html
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