How to do a card trick

This is a good card trick I'm about to teach. But I must stress that as a magician I don't share magic secrets with just anyone. On the other hand I'm all for helping others learn magic.

I'm all for encouraging others to learn magic as a hobby or profession. A card trick like the one in this guide is a good starting point because its easy to do. But can get good reactions.

So if you learn this card trick and enjoy performing it. I encourage you to pick up magic books and marketed effects to learn more. But I won't teach major magic methods publicly.

Having said all that. This is a good card trick and one of the first ones I ever learned. After 25 years in magic I still perform it from time to time.

Before I teach how it's done. I'll first describe what the trick looks like. As I describe it imagine someone is showing this card trick to you.

The magician spreads the cards and asks you to pick one and remember it.

The card you selected and remembered is openly pushed into the middle of the deck.

The magician instantly spreads the cards and your card is found upside down in the deck of cards. It's magically turned over.

Not a bad card trick huh? Before going on see if you have any idea how it could be done. There's no real sleight of hand involved in this one. Now lets learn how it's done.

The secret isn't in sleight of hand. It's in preparation. Before you do the trick you secretly turn the the bottom card of the deck face up. But no one knows this card is upside down.

Spread the cards and ask someone to pick one. Just make sure you don't let them see that the bottom card is face up. So be careful not to flash it.

While they're looking at their card. Square the deck up. Hold it in one hand then turn your hand palm down. Don't try to hide this. Just turn it palm down as they're looking at their card.

They think the deck in your hand is face down. But it's really face up with one face down card on top. (This image is just to illustrate what's really happening).

Slide their card into the middle of the deck face down.

Again. They think the deck is face down but its face up. This image shows your real situation. DO NOT SPREAD THE CARDS WHEN YOU PERFORM! This is just to illustrate what's really happening.

Now. You have to secretly turn the deck back face down. To do this say something to them as you make this gesture with your hands. This will turn your hands palm up and the deck face down.

Do not try to hide the fact that you're turning the deck over. Just speak to them. They'll look at your eyes. At that moment just turn both hands palm up. No one will notice the deck turned over.

If you're not sure what to say to them to get them to look at your face. Just say something like "So you're cards in the middle of the deck right?" Or you can simply ask them their name. Anything.

So now all the cards are face down in your hand except for the bottom card and their card in the middle of the deck.

Simply spread the cards and find their card which is now face up in the middle of the deck. Be careful not to let them see that the bottom card is also face up.

The trick is now over. The best thing to do right now is to just put the cards away in its box then in your pocket. But if you are going to use the cards more. Here's a way to clean up.

After they see their card is now upside down in the middle of the deck. The trick is now over. Put their card face up on the bottom of the deck.

So they think their card is the only one face up on the bottom. But there's actually two face up on the bottom. Grab those two together as one and turn them over. You're now clean.

Don't worry about the last clean up steps. The trick is already over so no one is paying attention to the cards anymore anyway.

Don't let the simplicity of this card trick fool you. It can be a very good trick if presented right. The best way to learn to present it right is to perform it over and over again.

If you enjoy this card trick and have fun performing it for people. Pick up some magic books or find a magic club in your area. It can be a lot of fun making people laugh and be astonished.

Enjoy!