How to do the Amazing "Pick a Card, Any Card" Trick

Thanks to edgy illusionists and street magicians like Criss Angel, magic isn't just for dorks anymore!

When it comes to being awesome at a party, acoustic guitars, Napoleon Dynamite quotes, and Texas Hold 'Em are out. Magic tricks, my friend, are back in. And when it comes to portable, practical, party-friendly magic, card tricks have always been the obvious choice.

But unless you happen to be the aforementioned Mister "Mindfreak" Criss Angel himself, you may doubt your ability to pull off impressive card tricks. Especially in the liquored-up haze of a party setting, the delicacy, concentration, and slight of hand needed to perform most card tricks convincingly is a near-impossibility for the average Joe.

Sure, you could learn some of those dumbed-down card tricks that rely on transparent counting schemes and patterns, but unless you're at a fourth grade pizza party (or maybe a California sorority house) those particular card tricks aren't going to fool anybody.

Thankfully, the simplest variation of the classic "pick a card, any card" trick--where the magician mysteriously guesses an audience member's card without ever seeing it--can be pulled off by almost anybody. All you really need to perform this classic "telepathy" card trick is a little bit of subtlety and basic counting skills.

In case you've never watched television in your life, the "pick a card, any card" genre of card tricks goes something like this:

The magician spreads the deck of cards face-out in his hand. He invites an audience member to "pick a card, any card." The audience member takes a card, memorizes it, and gives it back to the magician, who replaces it in a "random" position in the deck. The magician of course, never sees what the card is, hence the "magic" effect when he picks the correct card back out of the deck and asks--very dramatically--"is this your card?"

So how is it done? This particular card trick is one part preparation and nine parts presentation.

A party magician holds the cards face-out to the audience, even when counting them out at the end of the trick.

Credit: idesign-er

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