Learn an Impromptu 52-to-1 Card Trick Prediction

The premise is a key part of any magic routine.

The initial beats of the trick, the word choices, the pace, the way the props are introduced – these elements and others matter so much to the way the audience will approach the routine and how they will remember it.

Most of us have a sense of how important this is, yet in some areas of magic it is harder to find original hooks. Think of card magic.

Most card tricks start with the performer having a card selected. How many times will the spectator quickly say “I have seen this one!” when they actually haven’t? But the way they remember the experience of witnessing a card trick is – a card is selected and then found. So if a trick starts and ends like that, you’ll have to work extra hard to make sure it is impactful and doesn’t blur in memory, no matter what happens in between.

I’ve been fascinated by original hooks for all my time in card magic.

The three opening tricks in my lecture for magicians have these hooks: multiple people throw cards around until one is left; I lay three cards on the table and ask someone to guess their values; I ask someone to pick a position on the table and not tell anyone.

If you really have to start by having someone pick a card, here’s a line I’d recommend as you approach the selection process: “We’re going to end with one card, so can you start by taking one out?” This creates a nice ring composition, adds suspense, and immediately builds momentum.

I’d like to share the method for one of these card tricks with an original premise. You’ll have seen this one before, but it’s very likely that your audience hasn’t.

The idea is to invert the classic process: instead of selecting a card, you’ll remove every card except one.

I’ve been playing a lot with versions of this plot, and I’ve used one to open my performances for a long time. I recently decided to revisit it to create a method that anyone can do and that is virtually self-working. It only uses one sleight.

You may be familiar with this plot if you remember Christian Grace's trick Inevitable Choice. At magic conventions, you’ll often encounter someone who has a variation on this plot, too.

So often, however, these routines require one of the following: a gaffed deck, marked cards, equivoque forces, jazzing, and fishing. That is, most magicians just wouldn’t do them in the context of a random, impromptu performance.

Luckily for you, the method you’re about to learn works with any deck of cards and is so easy to do. Removing every card down to a single one will spark a thrill and create a sense that the performance is inevitably leading to an impossible outcome.

The deck is shuffled.

The performer takes out a card from the deck and puts it back in a specific position, unknown to the audience. Then, the deck is dealt fairly onto the table in a pile, and the spectator is invited to say stop. When they do, all the cards yet to be dealt are removed – no equivoque force.

Repeat the process several times, with the spectator dealing the cards, too, until only a single card remains. The performer reveals a prediction that matches the card exactly.