How to Perform the Key Card Trick

This card trick is a classic. The key card makes it work.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Playing Cards

1. Note the card at the bottom of a deck of cards and memorize it. This is the key card.
2. Have a volunteer pick a card at random from the deck.
3. Have the volunteer memorize the card and show it to the audience, and tell him or her not to show it to you or tell you what it is.
4. Have the volunteer place the card on top of the deck once he or she has memorized it.
5. Allow the volunteer to cut the cards as many times as he or she wishes.
6. Look through the deck, starting with the top card, until you find the key card. The one after it is the volunteer's card.

Tips & Warnings

• If the key card is on the bottom of the deck after the deck has been cut, the volunteer's card is on the top.
• One of the most important rules of magic is to never reveal how a trick is performed. If you do, your audience will be disappointed and everyone you know will start doing your trick.