Simple Card Tricks - Double Prediction

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This trick is impressive for a beginner magician. To the audience, he appears to be able to predict the card they'll stop at - every time!

Of course, you should never perform a trick twice, but for a laugh I performed this trick 5 times in a row for someone. (I was about to teach them the trick, but remember - don't do this to casual audience! It takes away from the effect. Let the memory of the trick perform for itself)

Anyway, not once could they figure it out. As far as simple card tricks go, if you perform this right, you'll have a very simple but very fun trick in your hands.

Here's a run-through of the trick from the spectator's eyes:

1. There are 2 spectators. The magician hands a pack of cards to one of them and tells them to shuffle.

2. The magician states that he'll need a few marker cards, and decides to choose 2 Aces. He looks through the deck, finds them, and hands one to the first spectator, the second to the other.

3. Then the magician begins to place a card from the top of the deck, face down, one at a time until one of the spectators tells them to stop. When they stop, they put their marker card in, face up, to show where they stopped at.

4. This is repeated for the second spectator.

5. The magician then goes through the deck, getting to the marker cards, and predicts the card above the Ace each time without fail.

Okay, so that's how the trick should look to the spectator. You can predict the cards before you go through the deck in step 5, or afterwards.

Either is fine, and you can do whichever you see fit. Anyway...

Double Prediction

What You Need:

1. A standard deck of cards
2. A spectator, 2 if possible
3. A fairly good memory

How To Perform The Trick:

1. Start off by taking the deck and handing it to the spectators. Tell them that as you think of a magic trick to show them, you want one of them to thoroughly shuffle the deck.

2. Take the deck back, and tell them that you've thought of a trick. Let them know you'll need two marker cards for them, and you're going to use two Aces.

3. Look through the deck of cards for two Aces. THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT. As you look through the deck, catch a glimpse of the first face up card (let's say CARD A) you see, and the last face up card (CARD B) in the whole entire deck. You have to make the glimpse very fast, so that you take note of the two cards as you go through the deck. Don't pause or stop, just keep a natural movement. It's pretty tough at first, but you get the hang of it.

4. If you can remember those two cards, the trick is done. Let's say CARD A is a Jack and CARD B is a two. Anyway, after you've got the two Aces, hand both to your one spectator or, if you have two, give one to each of them. Tell them to keep hold of it.

5. At this point, if you wish, you can tell them what you're going to do. See below for tips on presenting this trick. Anyway, once you've told them, start laying cards face down one at a time, from the top of the deck.

6. When your first spectator tells you to stop, let them put their Ace FACE UP on top of the pile of cards you've placed down. Now, take the deck remaining in your hand, and put THAT on top of their Ace quickly and pick up the deck. See what we've done here?

7. You've placed the bottom card of the deck (the Jack, CARD A) above their Ace. So you know the card above the Ace, when it's face up (ie, the rest of the deck is face down) is the Jack.

8. Because the first card you placed down in step 5 was the top card (the two, CARD B), that is now at the bottom of the deck in your hands. Repeat the process for the other Ace, noting that the second Ace is below CARD B.

9. The best way to remember which card is under which Ace is that the first Ace placed is under CARD A, and the second Ace placed is under CARD B.

10. Now, put on a show. Make voodoo hand gestures over the deck, close your eyes and concentrate, or whatever you want to do. Make it look like you're doing something magical. Once you're done, go through the deck face down until you get to the first face up Ace. Remember, above that is CARD A - so pick up the deck, and tell the first spectator that you think they cut the deck to (whatever CARD A is). Hold up all the cards above your Ace, show it around, and it should be CARD A. In our case, the Jack.

11. Repeat this for the second Ace, with CARD B.

Don't Understand?

Don't worry. I know it's tough learning from text and no pictures (I hope to get some pictures up soon, I promise!) But if you follow through each step as you hold a deck of cards in your hand, you'll quickly understand the structure and method of the trick.

Try it, and believe me, you'll very quickly understand how simple the trick is.

If you've read my other squidoo lens, you'll know how important performance is when it comes to street magic.

Even the fastest, smoothest, easiest and most fuel-friendly car in the world won't be popular or 'cool' if it looks like shit.

Same goes for magic. If it just looks like a complex and difficult trick, then it's not magic. And it won't be magic for your audience either.

What's worse, this trick isn't impressive or difficult. Let's be fair; it's a downright CHEAP DIRTY TRICK. But one that can look amazing or astounding if presented properly.

Here are a few ways you can spin the trick when giving the audience 'patter' in step 5:

1. You are Psychic - You can tell things about people. You can tell what kind of 'card' fits their personality, so you can tell which 'card' they'll be attracted to and therefore stop at. For example, if you know their card is a red Jack you could say:

"John, it was pretty tough predicting your card but you're a pretty cheery fellow, bright and upbeat so I think it's going to be a red card..and well, you're also VERY mischievous so it's no doubt going to be a Knave. I think it's the...Jack of Hearts."

"Jane, you were pretty easy. You live and breath those 2 black cats of yours, they're super important to you! So I had no doubt you'd pick the 2 of (either black card)."

Sure, you might sound corny, and you'll have to make a stretch for some cards, but you can apply pretty much every card to everyone with a bit of imagination and it brings so much to your magic when you mix things like this into it.

Some people actually listen, and think "Are they REALLY predicting these cards based on my personality? Am I REALLY attracted to these cards?" Exactly what you want.

2. You Can See Through Things - Another obvious one. They've placed their Aces down, you've taken the cards above the Aces and placed them down, now you concentrate really hard, and tell them that sometimes, only sometimes, you can get a mental image of a card just from staring at it. First you get the hint of a color, then finally a shape, until you take a WILD (yeah, right) estimated guess at what the card is. Wow, you got it!

These are just two ways you can enhance the trick.

Don't miss out the presentation. It's what makes your magic interesting instead of simply a trick. Don't make up huge stories, just make people actually wonder if you're supernatural or not. (Of course, don't believe you are and don't pretend you really are psychic in all other areas other than the trick. That's called "Taking advantage".)

This trick not enough for you?

Don't blame you. Magic is great fun. Guys think magicians are cool, girls adore them (how many times have I heard Criss Angel is soooooooo cool! And sexy...) and it's all just a great laugh.

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This only makes you more unique and popular when you're the only one in town who knows how to perform them!

Ever had an entire bar in a frantic uproar after performing one single magic trick? I know I have. And I learned that very trick in "Master Mentalism".