Do the This'n'that Card Trick

There is a card trick commonly known as the This 'n' That trick. This article will explain how to practice the trick. It involves 3 blank faced playing cards. In the trick, you tell a story that involves following the 'that' card, which seems to appear and disappear throughout the stack.

Steps

Setting up the Trick

  1. Take your blank-faced playing cards and neatly write 'THIS' on one card, 'THAT' on another card, and 'OTHER' on the last card.
  2. Take your 'THAT' card and place it face down. Then, place the 'THIS' card on top of it, also face down. Lastly, place the 'OTHER' card face down on top. From bottom to top it should be: THAT, THIS, OTHER.

Performing the Trick

  1. At this point, start telling a story: "I went up to a man in the street..." or something similar (See Tips).
  2. Tell your audience member that you have 3 cards. Toss them down on the table, spreading them out. Be careful to make sure they stay in order.
  3. Tell them that you have 'THIS' card, while double lifting the first two cards in your packet. By doing this, you are turning over the first two cards, revealing the bottom card, which is 'THIS' card.
  4. Turn the two cards back over (which the audience member should think is one card) and then take the top card and place it on the table, face down.
  5. Tell them that you have 'THIS' card (again, as if you have two 'THIS' cards) while turning over the top card in the packet.
  6. Turn the card back over and then place it on the table, face down on top of the card already there (which is the 'OTHER' card).
  7. Turn over the last card in your packet while telling your audience member that you have 'THAT' card.
  8. Turn 'THAT' card back over, then place it on the table on top of the stack.
  9. Tell your audience member to keep his or her eyes on 'THAT' card. As you say that, take the top 2 cards and move them to the bottom. They will say, "That card is on the bottom." Show them the bottom of the stack, revealing the 'THIS' card.
  10. Suggest that maybe 'THAT' card is still on top. Move the first two cards forward in your hand, then flip the top card towards you, grabbing the bottom card with your thumb as you flip. Basically, what you're doing is taking the top and bottom cards and flipping them, leaving the middle card. This reveals the 'THIS' card. Flip these two cards back over.
  11. Suggest that since the top and bottom cards have been the 'THIS' card, 'THAT' card must be in the middle. Fan out the packet and pull out the middle card, also revealing the 'THIS' card. Put the card back in the middle.
  12. Tell your audience member that they are trying to follow the 'THAT' card. As you do this, show them the bottom card of the deck.
  13. Tell them that 'THIS' card was just on the bottom, and the top also, but now that is also 'THAT' card. As you do this, move the top card forward and flip it towards you, grabbing the bottom card and flipping it also, as in Step 8. This also reveals 'THAT' card. Flip these two cards back over.
  14. Suggest that you are using 2 of 'THAT' card, and admit that you are using 3, because 'THAT' card is also in the middle. Fan out the packet and pull out the middle card. Show this to your audience member, revealing the 'THAT' card.
  15. Suggest that maybe you're cheating.
  16. Tell them, "Well, you've got THIS card..." and show them the bottom card in the packet. Then, face the packet downwards and pull the top card into your other hand. (This is known as the Hindu Shuffle.) "THIS card..." again, showing them the same bottom card in the packet. Turn it downwards and pull the top card into your other hand, on top of the card already there. "... And THIS card." Showing them the last card in your hand, which is the same card you've been showing them. Put this card on top of the others.
  17. Grand finale time. As you say this next phrase, take each card and flip them over, starting with the top card and working your way down. "You've gotta remember in life, you get a little bit of THIS, a little bit of THAT, but not so much of the (pause for dramatic effect) OTHER."



Tips

  • It helps if you accompany the trick with a story to follow. See the external links below for a YouTube video of the trick.
  • Learn how to do a double lift. There's a link in the external links below explaining the process.
  • There is a well-known 'gaffed' deck called 'the half-blank deck' or 'the magic blank deck.' Half the cards have printed faces with blank backs, the other half are slightly 'short' and have printed backs with blank faces. Three of the latter cards are ideal for this trick. Many magic and joke/trick shops sell this deck at very low cost.
  • Make the story convincing enough for the audience to look at you, not the cards.
  • Write THIS, THAT, and OTHER on the cards neatly. Any obvious mistakes or unusual shapes on a word will make it obvious to the audience member that they are seeing the same card more than once.
  • Do NOT write on regular playing cards, use only blank-faced cards (Google for 'blank faced playing cards' to find shops selling complete decks for a few dollars). If you use regular playing cards, when you show the same card twice as if it were two separate cards, it will be obvious that it's the same card.
  • Practice, practice, PRACTICE!

Things You'll Need

  • Blank faced playing cards. See the Tips section above. Don't try to "erase" ordinary cards with alcohol, as the results are never as good.
  • A Sharpie or other permanent felt-tip marker pen to write on the cards.
  • A good grip face.
  • 3 white pieces of card will work, all evenly cut, if you haven't got 3 white playing cards.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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