How to Perform the Three-Card Monte Card Trick

The classic con game: How'd you do that?!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Clear Tapes
• Tables
• Scissors
• Old Deck Of Playing Cards

The Trick

1. Hold up three cards in a fan for all to see: Use the 2 of diamonds, the 2 of hearts, and place the queen of clubs between them.
2. Tell the volunteer to remember where he saw the queen.
3. Turn the cards face down. Ask your volunteer to pull out the queen but not look at it.
4. Pick up the remaining two cards and show them. They are the red 2s.
5. Say, "What if I told you the queen isn't really a queen at all?"
6. Tell your volunteer to turn over the card he's holding - it's the ace of spades!

How It's Done

7. Cut a corner at a 45-degree angle off of the queen of clubs. You'll want to get about one-fourth of the card.
8. Tape the corner face down at an angle to one of the 2s - put the tape on the back of the queen and the face of the 2.
9. When you flip the queen up and put the other 2 in front, it will look like three cards.
10. Slip the ace of spades behind the fake queen.
11. When your volunteer slides the middle card out, slide the 2s together to hide the fake corner and let him see the cards.

Tips & Warnings

• You'll need to practice pulling off this illusion, but the astonishment on the other people's faces is worth the effort.