Free Trick

NO...NO....YES!! Effect: Magician (you) has a spectator select a card. It is returned to the deck and shuffled. The magician starts to spread cards out with the faces of the cards facing him but then stops, turns the deck around and fans them out with the faces towards the spectator, who is told to look at the faces of the cards as he fans them apart. He claims that he will be able to tell when the spectator sees his card, just by looking at the spectator's eyes. Even though the spectator does not change the expression on his face, when he sees his card, you find the selected card, even though you cannot see the faces of the cards. This is a great trick and occasionally a miracle! (See "The Miracle" below*) Props and Preparation: You will need what magicians call a "one way deck." This is a deck of cards where the card's back has a picture or back design (flowers, cats or dogs, a landscape, etc.) that can be arranged all the same way, so that when one of the cards is reversed, end for end, it is easily seen. You can find many different back designs, usually bridge size cards, at any discount or drug store. Arrange all the cards so that the back design or picture is facing the same way and return the cards to the box. Presentation and Patter: Remove the cards from the box and shuffle them. Make sure that you do not change the direction that the back design is facing when you do this. You say, "Usually, when a magician asks you to select a card, you have to blindly choose one, with no idea what you are going to get." Spread the cards out with the faces of the cards facing the spectator so that he can see the different cards. "Take your time, look them over and pick out one card that you like." Once the spectator selects a card, close up the spread out cards and when you do this, it is easy to reverse the deck end for end. Ask spectator to push his card back into the closed up deck, making sure that the back design is facing the opposite way from the other cards in the deck. I always hold the deck in my palm up hand with the other hand casually covering the top of the deck, so that no one notices that the design is facing the opposite way. You say, "Just push your card back into the deck anywhere you want." Once this is done, place the cards, backs up on the table and say, "Please give the cards a cut." Pay attention to the direction of the card he cuts to. (See The Miracle below*) After this is done, pick up the deck with the backs facing you and say, "I am going to spread the cards out facing you. I want you to look at each card but make sure that you don't change your expression when you see your card." Start spreading out the cards, one at a time, Put a look of concentration on your face, looking at the face of the spectator as he looks at the cards. What you are really looking for is the one card whose back design is opposite all the others. As you spread out the cards, when you reach the fifth or six card, pause, then lift out that card (this is just any card - not the selected one) and say, "Look at this card for a second." Look at the person's face for a second or two, as if trying to see if there is anything in their expression that indicates that this might be their card. Then say, "No" and replace the card. Continue on for six or seven more cards and repeat the process of lifting out a card, again, not the selected card , asking the spectator to look at it. Say, "No" and once more replace the card. When you get to the card with the back design facing the opposite way, lift it out also, again asking the spectator to look at it. Say, "No", replace the card about half-way back into the spread of cards, then stop, as if you just received some signal. Pull the card back out and when you do, casually turn it end for end (this will change the direction of the back design, so that it is facing the same way as all the other cards.) and say, "Wait!" Look at spectator's face as you hold the card facing them and then say, "Yes!, this is your card isn't it?!" Once they have confirmed that it is their card, replace it in the spread, with the back design facing the same way as the others, so that if the spectator should ask to look at the cards, you can hand them to him, knowing that he won't notice that one card's back design is facing opposite the others. * "The Miracle" Every so often, the spectator will cut to the card with the back design facing the opposite way. If this should happen, you have a miracle! You can improve the odds of this happening by asking the spectator to cut the cards a second time. If the spectator should cut to the selected card (the one with the back design facing the opposite way) say, "You selected a card of your choice. The cards were then shuffled and you cut them." Place your thumb on top of the top card at the end closest to the spectator. "Wouldn't it be interesting if the card you cut to is the same card you originally selected?" Wait for the answer and say, "Tell everyone the name of the card you selected." Wait for answer and then lift off the top card, thumb on top of card and index finger beneath, turning it end for end and facing the spectator. This lets the spectator see that it is his card and at the same time reverses the direction of the back design so that when you replace it face down on top of the deck again, the design will be facing the same way as the other back designs. A miracle!