I never leave home without a deck of cards. I love to do cool card tricks and people love to watch them. There is some skill required here and I will give you step by step instructions with pictures. You will learn:

• THE HINDU SHUFFLE
• SPECTATOR CUTS THE ACES
• CALLING THE CARDS
• ROYAL FLUSH
• SPELLING CARD TRICK- IN THEIR HAND ENDING
• STRANGER CARD

Make sure you read til the end. In the last trick, Stranger Card, I am going to cover some advanced card technique I have never discussed before. Every cool card trick here is learnable and practical.

Hindu Shuffle

When getting into card magic and performing card tricks you should learn to shuffle cards. Check out How To Shuffle Cards – A Complete Guide. Here I will teach you the Hindu shuffle. It is a great move that you can do a lot with.

Hold the deck from above with your right thumb and 2nd at the inner edge. Curl your right 1st naturally on top. From below you will take small packets off the top with your left thumb and 2nd. As you take packets let them fall into your left hand which acts as a cradle. Your right hand does all the moving. You can take off as many packets as you want. I recommend 4 or 5. This legitimately shuffles the cards.

CENTER HINDU SHUFFLE: Instead of doing the Hindu shuffle with the whole deck, pick up half the deck and do the shuffle. This leaves your cards on the bottom untouched. This is a great move and we will use it here.

PRO TIPS: Put in the time now to learn this shuffle. Spend an hour or two practicing while you watch tv. Go slow and get comfortable with the shuffling action.

Spectator Cuts the Aces

EFFECT: Your spectator cuts the cards into four piles, in a completely random, almost haphazard manner. They flip over the top cards, they cut to the aces.

HOW TO DO IT

Start with the aces on top of the deck. Bring out the cards, turn them face up, and do a center Hindu shuffle. Place the cards face down on the table at position 1. You will give your spectator a list of instructions. Point to the piles as you give these instructions. It will seem extremely random yet all you are doing is making sure an ace ends up on each pile. Keep track of your aces! You are starting at position 1.

• Cut the deck in half here (1 to 2).
• Cut this pile in half here (1 to 3).
• Cut this pile in half here (2 to 1).
• Cut this pile in half here (3 to 4).
• Cut this pile in half here (1 to 3).
• Wait, bring back 2 cards here (3 to 1).
• Cut this pile in half here (2 to 4).
• Place one card here (3 to 2).
• Cut this pile in half here (1 to 4)
• Wait, bring back 1 card here (4 to 1)

Perfect! You cut the cards, very randomly. I didn’t know exactly how many you would lift off each time. Please turn over the top cards.

IMPORTANT POINTS: Be casual about the cutting procedure, as if you are making it up as you go. You need to sell it at the end, really stress how random it was and you didn’t know how many cards they would lift off.

PRO TIPS: When you bring out a deck of cards it is important to shuffle before doing tricks. When working with a setup, in this case 4 aces on top, the center Hindu shuffle works perfectly. The cards appear to be shuffled thoroughly. Don’t even mention it, just casually shuffle.

Check out this Free Video and learn my favorite 4 Ace Trick. It is easy to do and guaranteed to amaze. I perform it all the time at my paid events.

Calling the Cards

EFFECT: Magician spreads the cards face down on the table and calls out a random card. Spectator pushes a card forward. Magician looks at the card, calls out another card, and again your spectator pushes a card forward. Magician looks at it, calls out a 3rd card and pushes a card forward. The cards are turned over, all 3 cards are correct.

HOW TO DO IT

KEY CARD

A key card is a card you know in the deck which hopefully your spectator doesn’t know you know. Here you will use a key card in an interesting way.

In order for this trick to be deceptive you have to be very subtle about your key card usage. Here you will get a peek at the 3rd card from the bottom of the deck. One option is to look beforehand. Bring the cards out, do a couple center Hindu shuffles which will maintain your key card 3rd from the bottom.

What I usually do is turn the cards face up, spread them casually showing they are mixed. I peek at the 3rd card from the face, close up the deck, flip the cards face down, and casually do a center Hindu shuffle. Then I spread the cards face down on the table. All of the following instructions are done with the cards face down.

ROUTINE

• Please push forward the King of Diamonds.
• Have your spectator push a card near the top toward you.
• Look at the card.
• Please push forward the Three of Hearts.
• Have your spectator push another card toward you.
• Look at the card.
• And I’ll try for the Seven of Spades
• Slide your key card, 3rd from bottom, KD, toward you.

SCOOP AND REVEAL

• Use both hands.
• Slide the right card above the middle card.
• Slide the left card on top.
• Flip the packet over like the page of a book.
• Spread the top card to the left and say the cards again.
• The King of Diamonds, Three of Hearts, Seven of Spades

IMPORTANT POINTS: You are using the one ahead principle here which can be very good if done well. Keep the routine moving and keep it short. Get to the ending and do the ending smoothly.

When you are finding your key card in the spread be a bit random about it. A little acting goes a long way.

If by coincidence they push the 3rd from the bottom forward when you say the first card, end the trick right there.

Royal Flush

EFFECT: Magician talks about the importance of keeping track of cards when playing poker. For example the Queen of Hearts. A round of poker is dealt. In the middle of dealing the magician randomly flips over one card, the Queen of Hearts. The cards are collected and then dealt out again, this time the Queen of Hearts is left face up. Not only does it appear at the exact same spot, this time the rest of the hand is a Royal Flush.

HOW TO DO IT

SETUP: Start with the Ace of Hearts, King of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, and Ten of Hearts on top of the deck. Make sure you know the 3rd card down. Turn the cards face up and do a center Hindu shuffle. Explain how you will keep track of the Queen of Hearts (3rd card down). Turn the deck face down.

POSITIONING: You need to get 10 cards on top of your stack. You could start the trick with the 10 cards already on top of your stack. Here is what I prefer to do. I like to spread the cards face down, upjog 5 random face down cards from the center, strip them out, and place them on top of the deck. Then I spread the cards and place the bottom 5 cards on top. You are set to go. It looks so random.

FIRST ROUND DEALT

Deal 5 hands of poker, 5 cards each, starting on your left with the 1st hand. Flip the 3rd card you deal to the 3rd hand face up. It will be the original 3rd card down in the deck, the Queen of Hearts. Casually flash the cards showing there is nothing else. Leave the queen face up.

Gather the piles with two piles above, two piles below, the Queen of Hearts pile going in the center. Place everything on top of the deck. Immediately turn the deck face up and center Hindu shuffle. You don’t want to touch the top 25 cards so shuffle accordingly.

SECOND ROUND DEALT

Deal 5 hands of poker, again 5 cards each. This time turn over the other cards in the hand showing a Royal Flush.

IMPORTANT POINTS: Deal quickly, dealing cards is dead time. Only show the one hand with the hearts, don’t worry about the other piles.

PRO TIPS: This is a different type of trick than a pick a card trick, which is good. It is important to vary the types of card tricks you perform for your audiences.

Spelling Card Trick

EFFECT: Your spectator shuffles and takes out nine cards. They place them on the table in 3 piles of 3 cards each. They choose any pile and look at the bottom card. They reassemble the piles into a small packet of cards and spell the name of their card, dealing one card face down for each letter. You place the cards between their fingers and knock the cards out. The only remaining one is their card.

HOW TO DO IT

Have your spectator shuffle the deck and take out 9 cards. Place them on the table in a row of 3 with 3 cards in each. Tell your spectator to look at the bottom card of any pile and place that pile on top of another pile. Place this pile on the last pile.

Have your spectator hold the packet face down. Explain that they should silently spell the value of their card, dealing one card face down for each letter, into a pile. So if their card was a 2 they will deal 3 cards face down, T-W-O, and place the rest of the cards on top. If their card is a queen they will deal 5 cards onto the table, Q-U-E-E-N, and place the rest of the cards on top. You don’t need to turn around here, just look away for a second.

Tell your spectator to pick up the packet. Have them spell the word “of”, O-F, and place the rest of the cards on top. So they will deal 2 cards face down into a pile and then place the rest of the cards on top. Here you don’t need to look away. Have them pick up the packet of cards.

Have your spectator spell the suit of their card, dealing one card face down into a pile for each letter. Clubs, hearts, spades, or diamonds. Same procedure here.

The cool thing is no matter what their card is it will now be 5th from the top. You will do an incredibly cool ending to make this card trick awesome. Pick up the packet and spread over 5 cards. Square these up and place the rest of the cards down out of play.

Have your spectator hold out their hand in a loose fist. Mime the actions. Place this 5 card packet between their 1st and 2nd fingers at the knuckle. Make sure they are not holding the cards too tightly.

You are going to firmly yet gently smack the cards out of their hand. Do this over a table. Due to friction the bottom card, their card, will be the only card they are left holding. It is pretty impressive. If you do it fast enough they will not know that it is the bottom card of the pile that stayed in their hand.

PRO TIP: I never ask the name of their card. It puts them on the spot. Truth is there is kind of a long procedure here and they might forget their card. This is ok. When you flip the card face up they will recognize it and remember their card and confirm it was theirs.

Stranger Card

EFFECT: Spectator picks a card and places it back in the deck which is red. Their card turns blue. Another card is picked and the blue card turns into the new card.

STRANGER CARD: A card with a different back than the deck you are using is called a Stranger Card. I use red backed cards so my stranger card is a blue backed card.

SETUP: Stranger card (blue) on the bottom of the deck, matching card 2nd from bottom.

HOW TO DO IT

• Do a center Hindu Shuffle which won’t disturb your bottom 2 cards.
• Have a card picked.
• Make piles on the table and have your spectator place their card in.
• Place the rest on top positioning your stack on top of their card.
• Pick up the deck and spread the cards.
• Square the blue card with the card below it, doesn’t have to be perfect.
• Move the double back to the deck. Get a pinky break below the double card and hold the deck squared in dealer’s grip.
• Place the cards above the blue card on the table.

DOUBLE TURNOVER

• Turn over the double naturally like turning the page of a book.
• Turn over the double injogged slightly.
• With the back of your right 1st finger push it square with the deck.
• Press up and get a pinky break.
• Keep it square on the deck while maintaining your pinky break.
• Let the card fall naturally when you turn it back over face down.

Deal the card onto the table. Place the cards in your hand onto the pile on the table. Pick up the deck. You will execute the Hindu Shuffle Force.

HINDU FORCE: Here you will learn a very basic yet very effective card force. Start with the force card on the bottom of the deck. Execute the Hindu shuffle taking small packets into your hand. Tell your spectator to say stop. When they say stop tap the right hand packet on the back of the cards in your left hand. Lift up the right packet and show the bottom card, your “force card.” Place the packet back onto the cards in your left hand.

Place the deck on the table. The rest of the trick is acting. Tell your spectator their card will turn blue. Look through the deck and when you cannot find their card have them turn over the blue card. They will go crazy.