One by One

One by One is a "mind-reading" trick.

A new pack of cards is best, where all the cards are straight; in an old pack they are often bent from much bending.

Begin by telling your audience you will name each card by reading the mind of someone who sees it. But you can only do that by first working magic on the card. Have someone shuffle the pack thoroughly, so you cannot be suspected of having "arranged" the cards.

You are going to hold them behind your back. As they are handed to you, or as you swing them behind you, note the card that is on the bottom-without letting anyone see you do it, of course. Suppose it is the 4 of clubs.

With both hands behind you, take off the top third of the pack (the exact number does not matter) , and turn it in reverse, so the bottom two-thirds will be facing the audience, and the top third will face you when you hold the cards in front of you. While you are doing this you can be mumbling some "Hokus-pokus-dommus-nickus" magic formula.

Now with the pack deep in the right hand, the fingers curled well over the cards (to conceal that all of them are not facing the same way), hold the pack out in front of you,' the bottom card facing the audience, and say, "Mary is thinking of the Four of Clubs. So that is the card she sees!" (At the same time you note the 6 of diamonds facing you.)

Swing the pack behind you quickly, and while you chant your magic, slip the 6 of diamonds from the top of the pack to the bottom, turning the card as you do so, so it will face in the direction of the other bottom cards.

Hold the pack in front of you, deep in your right hand, and say, "John, your mind is hard to read, but I believe-yes, it is the Six of Diamonds !"

(You note the card now facing you is the King of hearts.) Behind you again, you switch that card to the bottom, and when you hold the pack out you can say, "This one is easy, because everybody is thinking of the King of Hearts!"

And so on, for eight or ten cards, being careful to name the card you put on the bottom, and not the card that is facing you at the time!

And be very, very careful that no one peeks behind you while you are working your magic!

Fool-Proof Reversed Card

Effect: A spectator chooses a card, replaces it, turn the deck over three times in their hands, snaps it, riffles it, shuffles it, whatever then they look through the deck to find it reversed.

The Method: All you need for this are two exactly alike cards in the same deck. Place one of the cards face down in a face down deck as the ninth card from the top. Place the other either 21^st or towards the extreme bottom of the deck REVERSED!! Be sure never to touch the cards yourself during this trick and don’t allow anyone to look through the cards for two of the same cards later, either. I find it works better if you use this deck for awhile because and extra card has unlimited uses and is hardly noticeable. Now set the deck on the table well squared and face down. Tell the spectator to choose a number between 10 and 20. (20 will not work) Tell them to count that many cards off the top of the deck, one at a time, (reversing the order) face down onto the table. Then have them add the digits together and count that many cards back off the top of the pile onto the deck. Have them flip over the next card. This is the preplaced card. Make sure everyone (including yourself) sees it. If you messed up and this isn’t the right card, they will discover the secret when they come to the wrong turned up card. Have them put this one the top of the deck and then put the others back on, too. Have them cut it however many times they want, and their card probably won’t turn up, but only cut it two or three times because if it turns up too early they get suspicious. The key move is to have them turn the deck over in their hands 3 times the make them think they turned it over afterwards. Make this movement seem very important, stare at their hands intently and make sure it’s three. This all adds to the effect. Now have them search through and find it. This trick is amazing to the spectator because you never touch it, and, every time I do a series of tricks.

Find The Card The Hard Way

To perform this trick, you need the help of four spectators. All five of you should be seated around a table. Deal five hands of five cards each, starting with the person to your left and dealing clockwise. Ask each of the spectators to look at the hand in front of him (or her), mentally pick a card and then place the hand back on the table. He should remember the card he picked but not show it to you.

You gather up the hands. Start with the hand on your left and pick up the hands in a clockwise fashion, so that you pick up your hand last. As you pick up each hand, place it on top of your pile. Deal the cards again in the same way so that each person has five cards in front of him. You pick up each pile, on at a time, and fan it so that all four spectators can see its face. Each time, ask if anyone sees their card. If they do, place the fan on the table (without looking at the cards), pull their card from the pile and place it face down in front of them. In some hands there may be two or more participants’ card, in other there may not be anyone who sees his card in that pile. Once you have picked out the cards for each spectator, go around the table turning over the four chosen cards and asking them if that is their card. Everyone will be amazed when you get all four right!

How did you do it? Simple. Because of the way you gathered up and dealt the cards, the first spectator’s card is in the first position of its fan (that is, his original pile of five cards was dealt so that each one of his five cards became the top card of one of the final five piles), the second spectator’s card is in the first position of its fan, etc. so if you pick up and fan a pile and spectator number four says she sees her card, then her card will be the fourth card in the fan (or the fourth card from the top of the pile).

4 Friendly Kings

Do the first 3 steps away from your audience or pre-prepared.

1: Take the four King out of the deck, and also two other cards.

2: Fan the four Kings out, and place the two other cards you selected behind the second King. Line them up so your audience cannot see the two other cards.

3: Show the King to the spectators.

4: Place the King (and the two secret cards) face down on the top of the deck.

5: Tell the audience that the four kings are good friends, and they don’t let anything get between them.

6: Place the top King on the bottom of the deck. You may show the audience this card.

7: Place the next card (not a King) into the centre of the deck.

8: Repeat Step 7

9: Leave the fourth card on the top. You may show the audience the it is a King.

10: Explain that the Kings are real good friends and will soon be back together.

11: Cut the deck in the in the middle, and put the bottom half on the top.

12: Search the deck for the four Kings. They have been magically moved next to each other.