Effect: Spectator selects a card from among 49 lying on the table, and the magician is able to find it, and even bet some fools gold on it.
Card Trick:
No preparation necessary. From an ordinary deck of cards (without the jokers) have a spectator select any three cards. Throw these aside while explaining "Those three cards we aren't going to use." Then deal the remaining 49 cards face up in seven rows of seven cards. Overlap the cards in each column so that they're all visible and can be slid together without disarranging their order. Deal quickly so the audience knows you can't memorize them. Have the spectator mentally select one of the cards and show you the column it's in. Scoop up the column it up, taking care not to disturb the order of the cards. Then scoop up the other columns, keeping the mystery column in the middle of the group (column, column, column, mystery-card column, column, column, column). Again do this quickly so that there is no time for memorization. Deal the cards again in seven rows of seven cards and again ask which column the mystery card is in.
No matter which column is selected, you will know that the mystery card is the middle (4th) card in that column. You can glance at the middle card of the picked column as you scoop it up, again being careful not to disturb the order of the cards and picking up the mystery-card column so that it is the middle column.
Fools Gold ending: Start dealing the cards face up, scattering them on the table. The 25th card will be the mystery card, but continue past it for about four more cards. I make it look as though I've completely screwed up the trick. I then challenge the spectator : "I'll bet you 500 pounds of fools gold that the next card I turn over is the one you chose." Since the mystery card is already lying face up on the table, most people will jump at the bet and may even bet real money. Then reach into the mess on the table and turn the mystery card face down. A guaranteed jaw dropper.
Ending variations:
1. Just turn over 24 cards, then issue the fools gold challenge. The 25th card will be the mystery one.
2. After the second deal, the mystery column can be picked up first (mystery column, column, column, column, column, column, column), second or third. If the mystery column is first, count three cards off deck and the fourth card will be the mystery card. If it's second, show the 11th card; if it's third, show the 18th card.
3. After the second deal, pick up the mystery-card column first (so that it's is on top of the deck). Put the deck behind your back and take the first three cards off the top of the deck and place them on the bottom. Take the mystery card and flip it over, face up, and insert into middle of the deck. Then bring out the deck, place it on the table, and tap your finger on deck, saying, "Roll over, roll over, red-rover, roll over." Then pass the deck to the spectator and tell him (or her) that his card should be easy to find. The mystery-card has flipped over in the middle of the deck, to his astonishment.
Main Page Card Trick Central Bookstore Search this Site 4 Real Aces Variation
Preperation: Remove the four aces from the deck and the cards 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 (any suits). Put the four aces on top of the deck. (Later they'll be found in order from the top down.) Put the other eight cards in order from 2 through 9 and place them on top of the aces. Starting with the top card, the deck should be 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,A,A,A, then the rest of the cards. Now you are ready!
Procedure:
1. Bet the audience that they can find all the aces. Shuffle the deck, making sure that the top 12 cards stay in order on the top. (The audience won't notice, I guarantee.)
2. Ask a member of the audience to name a number between 10 and 20 (not including 20). Count that many cards one at a time face down onto the table.
3. Now ask him (or her) to add the 2 digits of his number together and state the sum. Pick up the cards on the table and count that many cards back onto the deck.
4. Remove the NEXT card and lay it face up on the table (it will be the first ace). Place the remaining cards on top of the deck without disarranging them!!!
5. Shuffle again without disarranging the top 11 cards and repeat steps 2-4 TWO more times!!
6. Now place the deck face down in front of the person and tell him to think of a number between 1 and 9. Have him count that many cards face down onto the table and turn the last card dealt face up.
7. If he thought of 9, he'll turn up the Ace. When this happens it makes the trick better, but it usually doesn't. If he thought of another number, he'll turn up a 9, 8,7,6,5,4,3, or 2. Tell him to deal off that many cards--counting the turned-up card as the FIRST--and the last card he deals will be the fourth ACE!
8. It's a good trick but don't do it more than once for the same audience.
Hand a full deck of cards to a volunteer to shuffle. (Make sure it's a FULL deck.) Ask the volunteer to deal
the deck into two piles. Have them choose one of the piles and remember the bottom card. Tell the
volunteer to show the bottom card to the audience (anyone else who's there,) but not you. Ask them to
place the pile containing the bottom card on top of the other pile. Then ask the volunteer to deal the deck
into four piles from left to right.
Pick up each pile and ask the volunteer if their card is in that pile. As you ask, reassemble the deck,
making sure the pile with their card goes on the very top. Give the deck to the volunteer and have them
deal the cards, one at a time face down on the table, spelling out the word "PRESTO". Have them turn the
next card over. This is their chosen card!
Effect: Spectator picks a card from deck and magician finds it. Magician then lays out four cards which
are different from the one the spectator picked. Finally, magician causes selected card to reappear.
Card Trick:
1. Finding the card: tell spectator to pick a card and put it back on top of deck. Then take deck and put it
behind your back. Turn top card over.
2. Bring deck out and show the bottom card to spectator; ask if it's the same suit as their chosen card (ask
any question... it's just a decoy.) Since the card chosen by the spectator is facing you, you now can glance
at it and memorize it.
3. Disappearing card: don't reveal the spectator's chosen card yet. Turn your whole body so the spectator
can't see what you're doing and take the chosen card from the deck and place it at either the 2nd, 4th, 6th,
or 8th position from the bottom of the deck. (Let's say the 2nd.)
4. Turn around again and show the bottom card (which is not spectator's card,) and ask if that's their card.
They'll say no. Take that card and place it on top Take their chosen card (which is the 2nd card,) and put it
on the table. Do this until you have 3 more cards laying on the table. Spectator will think their card is not
on the table.
5. After a big build-up, reveal that the spectator's card is now among those on the table. They will be
surprised!
