How to Perform the Psychic Card Guessing Effect

The psychic card trick is one of the easiest and most basic tricks to pull off, as it requires little or no audience participation. It is frequently one of the first card tricks a magician will learn. It is a good way to start mastering slight of hand and misdirection, which sets up the performer to learn more elaborate card tricks.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Begin with a deck of cards. The deck itself is of no importance, you don't need a stacked deck or a marked deck to perform this card trick.

2. Explain to the audience what you're going to do and ask an audience member to shuffle the deck if you like. Make sure this introduction this takes place before you announce which card you'll raise to the top of the deck.

3. Take the deck back and, without making it obvious, discover what the bottom card is. This is the card you'll raise to the top. Do this while talking to the audience and shuffling the cards. Drop some from the middle onto the top, but make sure the card on the bottom ends up on the top of the deck.

4. Close your eyes and concentrate. You can move your hands over the deck as if psychically pulling the card upward.

5. Ask an audience member to flip the top card up. If all has gone according to plan, it will be just the card you predicted.