ACAAN in Cards

A Biddle trick that can fool magicians.

The magician has the spectator freely select a card and shuffle it into the deck. The spectator then freely cuts the deck into four packets, with the selection ending up on top of one of the four packets. The selection then vanishes, and the values of the remaining three cards add up to the selection’s position in the deck.

1st edition 2026, video 9:18

My card routines Triple Cut ACAAN and Three Chances ACAAN have received a great response on Lybrary, and ACAAN routines where the spectator cuts three cards and their values add up to the final position of the selection are one of my favorite types to explore. Today, I'd like to share two more ACAAN routines along the same lines.

Like the previous routines, both are very fooling to magicians, with very direct effects. Both routines also use unconventional methods, resulting in even more unique and powerful effects!

Composite ACAAN:
The spectator freely selects...

This is a doubly magical effect in which a spectator selects a card from the deck - twice - based on the number resulting from the roll of two imaginary dice.

It's an effect in which the magician shows the entire deck to the audience while removing the two Jokers, shuffes it, and has a spectator cut the deck and complete - over and over again, as many times as the spectator wishes. When satisfied, the magician will stack a small pile of face-down cards, setting aside the rest of the deck. The spectator will imagine rolling two six-sided dice and mentally read the total (from 2 to 12). He...

A completely impromptu ACAAN routine in which a single card points in two directions.

The spectator freely selects two cards and they are returned to the deck and shuffled. The magician then has the spectator freely name another card, which is openly placed into the center of the deck. After being controlled to the middle, the value of the indicator card points left and right to reveal the spectator's two original selections.

Performance transcript:

• Give the deck a shuffle.
• Have the spectator freely name two cards.
• The 3 of Spades and the Jack of Diamonds.
• Insert the two cards...

A spectator cuts a shuffled deck and, with the first three cards he places on the table, creates an ACAAN, which, immediately afterward, miraculously occurs again.

Double Realy to ACAAN is a new card magic trick in which the magician, after showing and shuffling a deck of cards, hands it to a spectator who, after cutting and completing it one or more times as desired, places the top three cards face down on the table. The magician explains that the last two cards will yield a random number: by adding their values together (and subtracting 13 if necessary, should the sum be greater than...

This is a completely impromptu ACAAN. The spectator names any number and freely remembers a random card. In the end, the remembered card appears exactly at the named position.

However, I prefer to think of it as a card control system - a method for controlling a merely remembered card to any desired position with no setup whatsoever. Without question, this concept can take your card magic to the next level.

Performance transcript:

• This is an impromptu ACAAN routine.
• The deck can be thoroughly shuffled at the start. No setup required.
• Have the spectator freely name a number. ...

A simple and direct effect with an unexpected ending.

A card-and-number routine that I particularly enjoy performing. This project collects two of my most frequently used routines. Three cards are used to locate a spectator's selection, and in the finale, those same three cards lead to every matching mate of the selection.

Predicted Number ACAAN: A card is selected, returned to the deck, shuffled, cut, and the deck is divided into three packets. The top cards of the three packets not only predict the exact number of cards cut by the spectator, but also locate the selection. Just when...

A spectator freely selects a card and loses it into the middle of the deck. The magician claims he only needs three chances to cut to the selection, but all three cards cut to are misses. In the end, the combined values of those three cards reveal the exact position of the spectator’s selection.

Performance transcript:

• Shuffle the deck.
• Then place the deck on the table and have the spectator cut off about one-third.
• Remember the bottom card of the cut packet.
• Then cut another packet and bury the card into the deck.
• Just to be clear, there's no force and no crimp involved.
• The...

A made-up card at a made-up number effect where the spectator does (almost) all the work.

While the performer's back is turned, a spectator cuts the deck twice to two different cards. He adds their values together, then adds 10 to obtain a random number - let's say, 23.

He deals that many cards into a pile and divides the pile into two packets. He freely chooses one of the packets, looks at its top card and remembers its value. He repeats the same procedure with the second packet, this time remembering the suit of the top card. By combining the chosen value and suit, he mentally creates...

A spectator freely selects a card, freely cuts the deck to determine a number, and divides the deck into four packets. After multiple rounds of reassembling and cutting, the selection still arrives at the exact corresponding number. A self-working, fooling card routine.

Performance transcript:

• This is a completely impromptu effect.
• You can even borrow a deck from a spectator.
• No setup or stack is required to begin.
• Have the spectator cut roughly half the deck.
• Ask them to secretly count how many cards they cut.
• 22 cards.
• Since I don't have a spectator here, I have to count...

A very fooling card location and ACAAN effect.

Two spectators each cut a packet and remember the bottom card, then replace them into the deck. The performer has a spectator cut a large packet, then deals left and right on the table, eliminating the left pile each time, until only one card remains on the right. That card is spectator two's selection. Not only that, the top cards of the four dealt piles are turned over - their values add up to reveal the final position of spectator one's card.

• No force
• No gimmick
• No crimp

Performance transcript

• Next is a very fooling ACAAN...

A spectator freely selects a card, and it is returned to the deck and shuffled. The spectator then cuts a small packet, and the deck is dealt into three piles. From each pile, a number of cards - freely chosen by the spectator - is cut from the top. The three resulting cards are not the selection. However, the total of their values locates the selection, and the bottom cards of the three piles turn out to be the other three cards of the same value.

Performance transcript:

• First, shuffle the deck.
• Then I riffle like this.
• Have the spectator call stop anywhere to select a card.
• Have...

A special surprise gift worth $9 is included inside.

This is an unconventional and innovative marriage between the diary effect and the Acaan effect. An impossible and unbelievable showpiece. Do not be fooled by the low intro price.

Routine One as seen by the audience: A pocket diary is given to a participant and he is asked to check out the lucky playing card on his birthday. A deck of playing cards which was lying in full view on the table right from the beginning is ribbon spread and only one card is seen with Happy Birthday written on its back. When that card is turned over, it is...

A brand-new effect, using two decks of cards, one of which will be chosen by the spectator to represent the prediction.

This is a card an "Any Card At Any Number" magic trick that uses two decks of cards. The magician places both decks on the table, they are identical except for their backs: one has red backs and the other has blue ones. He lets a female spectator freely choose which one to use first and explains that, while one will serve as the prediction deck, the other will be used - after being shuffled - to allow her to freely focus on a card, from which the experiment will begin. ...

An unusual and inexplicable version of "ACAAN" using a borrowed deck shuffled by any spectator.

Impromptu "Any random Card At Any Number" Mystery is an ACAAN themed effect that can always be performed impromptu, also if you borrow a deck of cards (perhaps even an incomplete one) and let any spectator shuffles it freely! The magician asks the spectator to rise a small pack of cards, count them in secret, and remember that number. Before losing those cards into the rest of the deck, he asks the spectator to shuffle them and then choose one. He puts everything back into the deck, which he...

The spectator freely selects a card and it is returned to the deck. The cards are shuffled together. The magician says he will need three chances to locate the selection. He cuts to a 3, deals three cards, and reveals a 7. Then he deals seven cards and reveals a J. Finally, he deals eleven cards and arrives at the spectator's card.

Three cards used to find one card? Not exactly. Those three cards didn't just locate the selection - they also revealed the other three cards of the same value.

Performance transcript:

• As I riffle the deck, have the spectator call stop anywhere.
• Freely...

While the demo video covers most of it, here are a few important details it doesn't clearly point out.

• The choice of card, number, and their combination is completely free.
• The deck stays in full view the entire time. It is never hidden or taken out of sight.
• Everything is examinable.

Honest Note: There's a hidden move that takes place as the performer asks for the card and number. It's seamlessly built into the flow of conversation and presentation, making it completely unnoticeable. From the audience's point of view, the effect hasn't even started yet, moreover the deck stays in...

At the beginning of the experiment, a deck of cards is placed on the table in full view. The performer makes a clear statement: from that moment on, the deck will never be touched again.

A card is freely chosen. A number is freely determined. The performer does not approach the deck again. Instead, the deck is picked up and the cards are dealt one by one, counting aloud until the selected number is reached.

The card at that exact position is turned over. It is precisely the card that was previously chosen.

This routine is specifically designed for large audience settings and is not...

A deck is freely displayed and shuffled, and a spectator then selects any card (no force). The helper then cuts a block of cards from the deck, and the cards are counted to determine a random number.

Reassembling the pack, the selected card is slipped into the deck at a position decided by the spectator, and the cards are then cut a couple of times to lose the card's position.

The performer then shakes the deck a little as he explains that the selected card and the randomly chosen number will come together. Handing the deck over to the helper, she counts down to the chosen number and...

The spectator shuffles the deck freely, with no stack involved. The spectator first names any card, then remembers a random card. The magician has no knowledge of the remembered card. In the end, dealing to the named number reveals the spectator's selection.

Performance transcript:

• Next is a completely impromptu ACAAN routine.
• First borrow a deck and have it freely shuffled.
• There is no stack at all.
• Have the spectator freely name a number from 1 to 52.
• I have no spectator here, so I'll roll two dice.
• 56 is too high.
• 35-we'll use 35.
• Then have the spectator freely cut off a packet. ...

A very direct ACAAN-style effect. The magician places a single card on the table. The spectator freely rolls two dice and chooses how to combine the numbers. A deck is brought out and shown to be all different, with no duplicates. The cards are dealt to the chosen number, and it exactly matches the prediction on the table.

• No force
• No gimmicks - a completely ordinary deck

Performance transcript:

• The next effect is my ACAAN-style routine.
• First, there are no gimmicks.
• Just a regular deck straight from the card case, and one ordinary card set aside, plus two standard dice.
• The dice...

This bundle contains five different approaches to the Holy Grail of card magic.

1. Worker's ACAAN
2. Performer's ACAAN
3. Designer's ACAAN
4. Master's ACAAN
5. Avant Garde ACAAN

1st edition 2026

The spectator selects a card and replaces it in the deck. The magician has the spectator cut the deck into three piles and turn over the top card of each pile. None of them is the selection, but the values of the three top cards add up to the exact position of the selected card.

No Crimp - the position is found purely by adding the values of the three cards the spectator cuts to. There is no secret cut involved.

Performance transcript:

• Start by having the spectator freely select a card.
• Have the spectator remember the selected card.
• The spectator may choose any card in the deck. ...

A double "Any Card At Any Number" effect, fully automatic, with a secretly ordered stack that will practically do all the work for you.

An incredible and Self-Working pair of Card Magic tricks, based on the properties of a variant, unknown to most but in any case unrecognizable to the public, derived from what is probably one of the most famous mathematical stacks... In addition to learn a practical method for building it easily, starting from a new deck, you will find two effects explained here on the theme of "Any Card At Any Number."

In the first effect, the magician will announce...

The magician begins by taking out 9 cards. A spectator then freely cuts off a packet, counts the cards, and remembers the card at that corresponding number. After that, the spectator freely selects 3 cards from the 9, and the sum of those values not only locates the original selection but also reveals the other three cards of the same value.

A classic principle reworked with a special setup turns this into a much stronger ACAAN-style routine.

Full effect shown in the performance video.

Performance transcript:

• Here I have nine prediction cards.
• I won't need them yet, so I'll...

The performer shuffles the deck and then shows the interspersed cards in a sort of incomplete Faro Shuffle, asking the spectator to think of only one of the cards they see. Then, the performer repacks the entire deck, placing it face down on the table. The spectator removes a large portion, leaving it on the table and hiding the remaining portion in a pocket. The performer shuffles the portion on the table and asks the spectator how many cards they have set aside. Having obtained that number, the performer begins counting the cards one by one from the top of the deck, stopping at the number...

A multi-phase ACAAN routine with a completely unexpected ending.

A very unusual selection-finding sequence: after a freely chosen card is returned to the deck, the performer claims to give the spectator four chances to locate it. The spectator cuts the deck into four piles, but none of the top cards are the selection. Just as it seems the magician has failed, the plot turns - each of the four cards not only indicates the exact position of the selection, but also reveals the mates of the chosen value. See the full routine in the performance video.

Performance transcript:

• I riffle down...

A spectator randomly chooses a card and chooses a combination that, with other numbers thrown into play by the spectator, will produce a poker hand of four corresponding to the chosen card.

1st edition 2025, PDF 7 pages photoillustrated.

Four quick and automatic effects with a new stack of cards and a few simple mathematical calculations, which alone can work miracles.

A routine consisting of a multiple series of rapid and incredible "Any Card At Any Number" effects, based entirely on the properties of a mathematical stack derived from the more famous "Si Stebbins" and unknown to most, or at least impossible to detect by the audience.

In addition to learning a simple and fun method for constructing it, starting with a new order, you will find explanations of four different A.C.A.A.N. themed effects, the first two of...

A spectator randomly selects a card and then rolls three dice. By adding the corresponding top and bottom faces, the resulting number will indicate the exact position of the chosen card in the deck.

1st edition 2025, PDF 4 pages, photoillustrated.

An amazing 'Any Card At Any Number' effect, in which a spectator chooses any card and finds it again, incredibly guided by a series of three simple operations, arbitrarily decided based on his free choice.

A highly original "Any Card At Any Number" effect, in which the illusionist explains how many of our decisions are influenced today, despite ourselves, by mathematics and computers, as demonstrated, for example, by the spread of Artificial Intelligence.

After taking a deck of cards out of its case and placing it face down on the table, he asks a spectator to freely think of any card...

An exciting mentalism effect in which the spectators themselves, after naming any card in the deck, imagine in their mind that they can find it as the only one still in its 'right' place in a shuffled deck, giving rise to an amazing "A.C.A.A.N."!

This is an original new "Any Card At Any Number" type effect, which will most likely be different from anything you have ever seen before!

"... Kudos for coming up with this stack that lets you find any card in its place... And congratulations also for the method you used... Everything is explained very well and in an understandable way! Great!!!...

This is a location-based stack that allows you to determine the position of two freely cut cards, even after the spectator shuffles. No sleights, no force, no gimmicks. Full performance is in the video.

1st edition 2025, video 5:53

This ebook explores the famous card magic theme "Any Card At Any Number," coined by mentalist David Berglas.

"This book has been produced with great attention to detail. Each effect is accompanied by numerous images that clearly illustrate the method, preparation, and execution. In some cases, links are provided to useful videos for further exploration of the topic covered. It contains some ingenious effects alongside others that are simpler, but all are guaranteed by the "trademark": B. Magic." - Davide Rubat Remond

All these effects, selected from the best I have...

A new card magic effect, incredibly automatic and hands-off, in which the spectator himself, after choosing any card from the deck, will start an impressive "A.C.A.A.N."!

The title refers to a new Automatic Card Magic effect that is completely hands-off, where the magician, once he has introduced, shuffled, and quickly shown the deck, will have it cut and leave it entirely in the hands of a spectator, until the end of the experiment, without ever touching the cards again! It is an "Any Card At Any Number" effect type where, thanks to the introduction of a brand new stack, almost impossible...

The psychological Card at Any Number that makes you a master of chaos.

"Red Chaos fooled me every single time." - Markobi

"What I love in Red Chaos is that the spectator believes everything is free, everything is chaos... and yet, at the end, there is only astonishment." - Dani DaOrtiz

Imagine this ... A spectator freely chooses a card that is lost in a shuffled deck. They name random numbers. They decide if the cards are taken from the top, the middle, or the bottom. Everything is in their hands. The chaos seems total. And yet ... at the end, their card appears exactly at the number...