How to Perform the Magic Elevator Card Trick

Show your audience the ace of spades on top of your deck of cards. Then place the card in the center of the deck. Magically, with a shake of your hand, the ace of spades returns to the top. How did you do that?

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Deck Of Playing Cards

1. Take any card and place it on top of the ace of spades on the top of your deck of cards. The ace of spades is now the second card from the top.
2. Use the pad of your pinky finger to hold a break between the top two cards and the rest of the deck. This is known as the pinky break.
3. Pick up the two cards as one and show the audience. They'll think you only hold the ace of spades.
4. Place both cards back on the deck.
5. Take the top card (which is actually the six of hearts) and push it into the center of the deck.
6. Give the deck a shake and reveal that the ace of spades has magically returned to the top.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't tell your audience how you did the trick no matter how much they beg. Remember that they really don't want to know. The secret to all magic tricks is something quite simple - imagination will entertain more than the truth ever will.
• Holding the cards with the pad of your little finger is called a "pinky break." Practice this in front of a mirror before you try to show it to anybody. The audience should not notice anything different about the deck. It should look completely normal.
• Picking up two cards as one is called a "double lift." When you do this, it should look as natural as possible. Hold the cards by the top ends and bend them a tiny bit. They will stick together better.
• Practice, practice, practice.