My Psychic Deck

Effect:

Two cards are chosen by two spectators from a blue backed deck. The first magically travels to the top. It is placed aside on the table. The second selection is found face up in the middle of the deck. Then the first selection changes from a blue card to a red card.

Preparation:

Place one red backed card on the bottom of a blue backed deck. Remove the duplicate of the odd backed card from the deck. We’ll assume for the explanation that the red card on the bottom of the deck is a 3 of Hearts and that you’ve removed the blue 3 of Hearts from the deck.

Performance:

This is best performed with a man and a woman. The patter story for this effect is a demonstration of how your deck of cards is psychic. You demonstrate this by having the deck tell you what the cards were. The first step is to force the odd backed card on the woman. The most effective way to do this for this effect is the Hindu force.

Here’s how that is accomplished: Hold the deck in the right hand from above with the thumb at the rear left edge, middle finger at the rear right edge and index finger curled on top.

With the left finger tips, begin taking small packets into the left palm (see fig. 1).

Continue this action while asking the woman to tell you when to stop. When she says stop, turn the right hand packet’s face toward her to show her the “card she stopped you at.” This will be the force card. Once she has seen it and memorized it then you are going to apparently place the deck back together, actually, as you place the right hand packet onto the left hand packet, you will hold a left pinky break between the two and then cut (or double cut) the force card back to the bottom of the deck.

Next you have the man choose his card. Spread the deck for a free selection (careful not to expose the bottom odd colored card). Let him look at his card (by the way, don’t let the man and the woman see each other’s cards). While he’s looking at his card, get a right thumb break above the bottom (odd colored) card.

Then kick cut the top half of the deck into the left hand and replace it under the right hands packet, so now you have a thumb break between the two halves of the deck with the odd colored card on top of the bottom half. Next, transfer the break to the left pinky finger (see fig.2).

Next get the man’s card and place it in the center of the deck. But, you guessed it; it is secretly placed right on top of the odd backed card. Hold a right thumb break above the man’s card, then double cut the bottom half to the top. So now the situation is a normal deck with the man’s (blue) card on top and the woman’s (red) card second from the top.

Next, riffle the deck to your ear as you talk about how the psychic deck will tell you the name of the woman’s card. Then announce to her what the card is. (This is the forced card, in our case the 3 of Hearts). Explain to her that the deck can be even more psychic. It can actually cause her card to come to the top of the deck.

Do a double lift and show the “top (actually second from the top)” card is hers. You are now going to execute Jason Montoya’s Acrobatic Card Slide to place her card face up on the table in such a way, that she will swear that her card has a blue back. Here’s the move: The double is face up on top of the deck at this point in the effect.

Get a pinky break below the top two cards and then turn them (as one) over face down as follows: The right thumb holds the double at the lower right hand corner of the deck while the right middle finger holds the double at the upper right hand corner of the deck. The right hand now pivots the cards over to the right with the help of the left thumb (see fig. 3).

When the double is 90 degrees with the deck, your left thumb will them push the double to the right causing the card to pivot face down. Then your right fingers hold their position but they slide down to the right side of the now face down double. The left hand fingers act as a road block to stop the double from sliding away from you (see fig. 4).

Then your left thumb moves out of the way and back to the left side of the deck and then is placed on top of the double which is on top of the deck. Then the double is rested on the tips of the left fingers (see fig. 5). This is an open-non-hidden break. Make sure you retain your right hand’s grip which was removed from this photo for clarity in showing the left hand.

Next, move your right hand (still holding the double) to the right of the deck, and as the double reaches the right edge of the deck, use the deck as a fulcrum to pivot the double beneath the deck. At the same time, you’re left hand re-grips the deck as follows: left thumb on top in the center, left index finger on the bottom at the front (see fig. 6). Note on figure 6: this is showing the left hand upside down for clarity’s sake. Normally, the hand is palm up and the deck is face down and the right hand would be holding the double jogged to the right of the deck.

Now as the right hand double is pivoted below the deck, it will be out jogged to the right. As the double is in this position, the left fingers will gently slide the bottom card of the double (man’s selection) to the left and flush with the deck (see fig. 7).

While this is going on, your right hand is moving the now single (woman’s selection) to the right and just dropping it off on the table. This is all one smooth deliberate motion that looks like you are just placing the card off to the right. As soon as you table the woman’s card, cut the deck, and return it to the table. You’ve have just placed the man’s card face up in the center of the deck. At this point, the effect is done; the rest is just acting. Now you are going to have the man listen to the psychic sounds of the deck. Riffle the deck in his ear. Ask him if he understands what the deck is saying.

Then say, “Now tell her (the woman who selected a card) what your card is.” This always gets a good laugh. Then explain to the man that you forgot that most people don’t know how to interpret deck language, but that’s ok because your deck is so psychic that it new you wouldn’t be able to understand it, so it taught itself sign language just for you just for this trick. It can actually show your card on the back of one of these face-down cards so that you’ll know that the deck knew your card. Spread the deck to reveal the face up selection. Carefully remove his face up card.

Now the situation is a face down ribbon spread blue deck in front of you. The woman’s card is off to your right face up on the table and the man’s card in your hand face up. Now to prove that your deck truly is psychic once and for all, you demonstrate that it even knew that you (point to woman) are a woman and that you (point to a man) are a man. To prove it, for you (man) he made your card blue (that’s a guy color), and to prove it, he made your card (woman) pink, or red. That’s a girl color.

Notes:

Be careful with your double lifts. When you are double lifting with a card from a different deck, the cards don’t cooperate as well as they would if all the cards came from the same deck. Just be aware of your edges and don’t let the stranger card beat you.