How Do I Make a Playing Card Float?
The standard playing card is a prop used by many amateur and professional magicians. This is because one can perform a variety of tricks using these cards. One trick that most anybody can do is to make the card "float" in mid-air. This trick may look complicated when you see it performed in person. With the right materials and a little bit of practice, though, you can impress your friends by making a playing card float in the air.
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Things You'll Need
- Invisible thread
- Clear tape or magician's wax
- Scissors
- Playing card
- Deck of cards
Instructions
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1
Cut a 2-foot-long piece of thread. The thread will need to reach from the top of your earlobe to just beneath your belly button, so you may need a slightly longer piece of thread depending on your size.
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2
Tape the thread on the face side of the card. You will want to use either magician's wax or clear tape so that the tape can't be seen. Be sure to fasten the thread in the center of the card so you can maneuver the card once you make it "float."
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3
Tape the opposite end of the thread to the top of your earlobe. Do so on the back side of the earlobe so the thread and magician's wax/tape cannot be seen by your audience.
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4
Put your "floating card" in the middle of a deck of cards. Remember to keep the deck of cards no further than two feet away from you (the length of the piece of thread). Otherwise, the card will move, thus ruining your trick.
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5
Hold the deck of cards face down. Put your other hand over the deck of cards so that your middle and index fingers surround the thread. You can also use your ring and middle fingers if you're more comfortable doing so. Nonchalantly close your two fingers around the thread.
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6
Flick your wrist upwards with your two fingers enclosed around the thread. This will cause the card to "leap" out of the deck. Once it does, grab the card. You can now place the deck of cards off to the side as you'll no longer need them.
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7
Use the middle and index fingers on both hands to spin the card face up in mid-air. Once you do this, close your two fingers around the thread in the same way as you did in Step 5. At the same time, place your other hand beneath the card so that you can catch it once it stops spinning.
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8
Raise the hand above the card (with your fingers around the thread) to make the card "float" higher. Wiggle the fingers on the hand beneath the card and spin the hand that is above the card to add showmanship. Remember to spin the hand that is above the card in the same direction that the card is spinning (clockwise or counterclockwise). Otherwise, you could interrupt the spinning of the card and ruin the trick.
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9
Use your head to make the card move from side to side. Slowly turn your head so that the audience doesn't notice that it's your head, not your hands, that is making the card move back and forth.
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10
Grab the card with either hand when it begins to stop spinning. You can also let the card come to a rest in the hand that is beneath the card if you wish.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure to practice this trick several times before you do it in front of an audience. This isn't a very complicated magic trick, but it will still take a beginner some time to get used to tugging on thread and spinning the card in mid-air.
