How to Perform the Torn Napkin Trick

This is a good bar trick to impress friends and influence strangers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Drinking Glasses
• Paper Napkins

1. Take a cocktail napkin and fold it up until it is about the size of a half-dollar.

2. Take a second cocktail napkin and place it on top of the folded-up napkin on the bar.

3. Put the folded napkin in such a place that you can pick up both napkins without letting anyone know that you have a folded napkin underneath. A good place is in the right-hand corner nearest to you.

4. Put your drink on top of the napkin and pretend that nothing is going on. You're ready to do the trick.

5. Invite someone to watch you do a trick. Don't tell them what you're doing; the trick will work better if they don't know what to look for.

6. Move your drink off the napkin.

7. Pick the napkin up without letting anyone know that the folded napkin is behind it.

8. Carefully shred the napkin until it is a lump of shredded paper roughly the same size as the folded-up one.

9. After the last tear, pretend to be fussing over the condition of the paper. You might adjust a couple of pieces or fold one piece over - whatever.

10. Wait for an opportune moment - when the others aren't looking or when you've lulled them into a sense of security, thinking that you'll never stop fussing with the napkin.

11. Flip the paper over so that the folded piece is facing them and the ripped piece is facing you.

12. Remember, you never told them what you were going to do, so they shouldn't really care or notice that you've just turned it over.

13. Unfold the paper slowly. When the paper is big enough to hide the movement - 1/3 or 1/2 unfolded - sneak the ripped-up paper under your third and fourth fingers.

14. Finish opening the paper and hand it to a person you're performing for.

15. Put the wad of paper into your pocket casually while the others are looking at the "restored" napkin. If you are sitting at a table, just toss the wad under the table.

16. Bask in your glory - and don't do it again for these people. If you do, they will figure it out. If they figure it out, they will no longer be impressed. Then they won't think you're as cool as they did a second ago. Really.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to do this for real people.

[JoeyC]

on 6/8/2007 I watched a trained magician do this the other night and I melted instantly. It really is all about practice though. You better get good at it before you try to pull this spectacle in front of a live audience. Unless you are performing for squirrels or something.

on 11/22/2005 Put a roll on your plate. Cover it with your napkin. Grasp your fork's handle through the corner of your napkin. Under the pretense of adjusting the napkin, steady the roll just long enough to stab it with the fork. Grasp both near corners of the napkin--thumbs on top, fingers beneath. Pinch the fork handle (beneath the cloth) between your right thumb and forefinger. Slowly, steadily, turn your hands under, rotating the fork to a steeper angle, pushing the roll upward against the middle of the cloth. As enchantment builds, let the roll start pulling the fork upward, outward, left and right.