Then you divide the deck into four approximately equal piles, with three spectators taking one each. Paul Wilson) The effect : A spectator shuffles the deck and remembers a card which is shuffled into the deck. Watch Darren Wray perform "Four Sided Gemini": Īlso see Lennart Green perform his great "Stolen Cards" routine with a custom deck here. The basic routine is extremely simple to perform, and ideal for beginners. Some great variations of the basic routine exist, including John Bannon's "Collusion" and "Four Sided Gemini", and Lennart Green's "Stolen Cards" (which requires a special deck). The plot has great opportunities for presenting it well, and will generate good reactions.īackground : This little gem was popularized after it appeared in one of the Self-Working Card Magic books by Karl Fulves, which also contain some other terrific card tricks. And to prove that it's not a fluke, it happens twice, and yet you end up with not just one but two matches.
What makes it strong is that the spectator genuinely shuffles the deck, and can genuinely stop at any point that they want. What's good about it : Despite the simplicity of the method, this effect is incredibly impressive. The deck is spread, and when the two cards besides the face-up prediction card are revealed, they are "twins" (the same color and value) that match the prediction cards exactly! This process is repeated with the second face-up prediction card. The spectator then starts dealing and stops whenever he wants, with the spot marked with one of the face-up prediction cards.
It would be amazing to just sort even a few red and black cards correctly, but to sort through the entire deck in this way is truly a miracle. What's good about it : This is a powerful, powerful trick! After all, it seems completely impossible, and impossibility is what makes magic so strong. After proceeding through the entire deck in this way, the cards are turned over, and it is revealed that your spectator has identified every single one correctly, and that the entire deck has been perfectly separated into red and black! Out of This World (Paul Curry) The effect : You start dealing cards from the deck one at a time, and your spectator has to indicate whether he thinks each card is either red or black.None of these tricks require gaffed or gimmicked cards, but can be performed with a regular deck of playing cards. Here are my choices for 10 of the very best self-working card tricks in the world, ever. These tricks are wonderful examples, and if you're not familiar with them, you really owe it to yourself to spend some time with them, even if it's just to watch some good performances of them! Whether you are relatively new to card magic, or a seasoned veteran, you're almost certain to find something you'd like in this list, because these tricks can produce a strong effect that makes them appealing even to old-timers. Self-workers like these really have the potential to knock the socks off your spectators, and when well presented, you can really amaze with this material. In this article I'm going to introduce you to some of the world's very best self-working card tricks. But because strong magic is all about being entertaining, a clever self-worker that relies on a good method and is combined with a good presentation, can be among the most baffling card trick that there is.
Self-working card tricks are often and unfairly considered somewhat condescendingly. The good news for people interested in simple card magic is that there are some fantastic card tricks that rely on methods that are basically self-working.