Cards in Magic & Mentalism

A new handling of a classic plot.

A spectator freely selects a card. The magician claims he will cut to the other three cards of the same value. He cuts three cards and leaves each face up in the deck. At the end, they are revealed to be the wrong value. But when the deck is spread, the three face-up cards have impossibly changed into the other three mates of the spectator's selection.

Performance transcript:

• First, shuffle the deck.
• Have the spectator freely select a card.
• Let's say they select this card.
• Remember your card.
• As a magician,
• I'll try to cut to the other three...

Fugitive notes 1975 - 1995

• Counting On Triumph
• Aces Becoming Courtly
• Popped Departure
• Cased-In Vision
• Marlo's Color-Changing Deck
• Crux Deluxe
• Fisting The Aces
• Three Roads To Dunbury
• Dunbury Lie Speller
• Eighteen-Card Version
• Guardian Angel
• Ghostly Autograph
• Jack-In-The-Box
• Parallexis
• Imaginary Card On Ceiling
• Well-Done Deal
• Psychic Poker
• Carribean Assembly
• Rule-Breaking Aces
• Challenging Triumph
• Lady Spell
• Stabbing Myth
• Biddled Thought
• Into This World
• Zippy Zig-Zag
• Post-Graduate Twenty-One Card Trick
• Blank-Wave II
• Dry-Dock Divination
• Thy Name Is Woman
• Hull-Scam ...

A card chosen at random along the path virtually manages to find the real way to meet its twin.

This is an original card magic effect 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, is ready to follow the magician's instructions. The latter asks him to turn over the first card and place next to it as many cards as its value. He will turn over the last one and repeat the process a second time, again based on the value of the card he turned over. At that point, when the last card...

The performer reveals the spectator's chosen card and its exact position in the deck - twice in a row.

Phase #1:

The spectator selects one card in a deck as follows:

Once the cards have been dealt into two piles, the spectator simultaneously cuts off a packet from each pile and swaps them; he may perform this cutting and swapping as many times as desired. (This alters both the order of the cards and the size of each pile.) He selects one pile and repeats the same procedure twice more.

The spectator, now left with a small packet, remembers the top card - let's assume the Jack of Diamonds...

The human lie detector

Imagine an effect where the cards are seemingly merely a formality and the true focus is on the psychology of the human mind. In this incredible effect, a spectator can freely shuffle the deck using any shuffle they choose.

Your spectators cut the deck into multiple packets - which don't need to be equal in size - and shuffle their own packets to ensure total randomness. They can even exchange packets among themselves before looking at their cards, leaving you seemingly with no information at all.

This is where the real magic happens. You explain that in the high-stakes...

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...

You show four cards with yellow backs. On the other side they all have green backs, meaning they are double-backer cards. Then where there were yellow backs, there are now blue backs. Then the cards turn into the four aces. Then the backs change to red backs. Eventually, each ace has a different coloured back.

1st edition 2026, video 2:14.

Excerpt from the introduction by Charles Eastman:

• Preface by Lee Jacobs
• Introduction By Charles Eastman
• Effect
• Secret
• Construction...

A shuffle principle designed to fool magicians.

The magician begins by removing a prediction card. The spectator freely selects a card and returns it to the deck. The magician performs a riffle shuffle, which mysteriously stops halfway through. The shuffle stops exactly at the spectator's selection. The three resulting packets are then turned over, and their values match the prediction card from the beginning.

Two different handling methods are included.

Riffle Location and Prediction: An almost self-working card trick that relies on a simple gimmick to achieve the final effect.

...

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...

This book contains a collection of effects utilizing one of my favorite gimmicks: double-sided tape.

This hard-to-find ebook is once again available for purchase. Contains 12 illusions, plus a tutorial on printing custom cards.

"... strong magic... interesting plots... devious methods. What more could one ask for?" - Martin Lewis

"... will keep you glued to the pages." - Paul Hallas

YFW!
Four Jokers and an Ace are shown. The Ace is set aside. One by one the four Jokers turn face down. But wait... this trick doesn't use four Jokers and one Ace. It uses...

A complete guide to the crimp in card magic.

Tired of spectators catching your pinky break? The Bent Truth: A Complete Guide to the Crimp is your essential guide to mastering one of the most reliable tools in card magic.

Why the crimp is your new best friend:

• It's Set-and-Forget: Unlike a pinky break, a crimp requires zero muscular effort to maintain. Once it's set, you can do anything with your hands-or even hand the deck to a spectator.
• It Survives the Shuffle: Whether it's a riffle, overhand, or Hindu shuffle, a properly applied crimp stays intact. Your spectator can genuinely shuffle...

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...

"Absolutely Amazing." - Roberto Giobbi

"Incredible thinking." - Teller

The most wonderful gaffed Tarot cards (or even playing cards) ever conceived. A gaffed deck of the 22 Major Arcana cards infused with multiple layers of deceptive mechanisms.

METHODS NEVER BEFORE POSSIBLE: with the Major Arcana for predictions, mindreading, magic squares, Out of This World, vanishes, teleportations, and more.

SPECTATOR CUTS TO A CARD. You immediately know the card and its position in the deck.

A SPECTATOR CUTS THE DECK INTO THREE PILES. You immediately know the bottom card of each...

A compilation of four of my gimmicked decks that I use constantly in both professional and casual performances.

Serendipity Deck: (From the No Briefcase Act) Any named card is predicted using the two Jokers from the deck. A dynamic and entertaining approach to predicting any freely named card.

Smile Deck: (From the Motivational Mentalism Act) The named card is the only one with a smiley face in an otherwise blank-backed deck. No roughing spray, no thin cards.

Telepathic Deck: Your participant merely thinks of any card, and you instantly know it. A forgotten classic reimagined through...

A collection of miniature stage illusions using playing cards.

Still more miniature stage illusions from the critically acclaimed "I Hate Card Tricks" series. Volume 3 features effects based on both classic and contemporary stage illusions.

This hard-to-find e-book is once again available for purchase. Contains instructions for constructing and performing 12 illusions, plus a tutorial on printing custom cards.

The Aztec Queen

This effect is based on the "Aztec Lady" illusion. A Queen is placed into a playing card cabinet. She can be clearly seen through windows in the front of...

A collection of miniature stage illusions using playing cards.

What's that you say? You still hate card tricks?! Here, in volume two, I present an all-new collection of miniature "stage illusion" recreations made popular in the original I Hate Card Tricks.

This hard-to-find ebook is once again available for purchase. It contains instructions for constructing and performing 11 illusions, plus a tutorial on printing custom cards. Foreword by Martin Lewis.

The Origami Queen

This effect was inspired by Jim Steinmeyer's "Origami" illusion. A signed Queen is placed...

An almost self-working card location effect with an ACAAN feel.

Fool your magician friends. A powerful routine that can be performed with a single deck.

The spectator selects a card, returns it to the center of the deck, and cuts the cards. The magician then has the spectator cut off another packet. Using that packet, cards are dealt one to the table and one to the bottom of the packet repeatedly until only a single card remains. That final card reveals the exact location of the selection. As a bonus, the spectator also discovers the other three cards matching the selection's value. ...

Stop ignoring the back of your cards.

There is a secret hiding in plain sight on almost every deck of cards you own. It's been there for decades, but most of us overlook it because we're too busy practicing our passes and bottom deals. It's called the one-way back principle, and it is arguably the most undervalued tool in card magic.

Why should you care? Because the one-way back principle allows for genuine miracles that require zero sleight of hand. We're talking about effects where the spectator shuffles the deck themselves, yet you can still find their card instantly. It survives genuine...

A collection of miniature stage illusions using playing cards.

This hard-to-find ebook is once again available for purchase. It contains instructions for constructing and performing 11 illusions, plus a tutorial on printing custom cards. Foreword by Marty "Martini" Grams.

"Highly recommended ... pure genius ... 10 out of 10." - Marty "Martini" Grams

"...the effects look so astonishing." - Aldo Colombini

"Remarkably different and visual." - Kenton Knepper

The Divided Queen

This effect was inspired by Jim Steinmeyer's illusion, "Modern Art." Your assistant...

A pool-table card revelation.

A spectator freely selects and remembers a playing card. Every decision appears to remain firmly in their hands as the deck is divided and the procedure unfolds with complete fairness. The remaining cards are scattered face down across a pool table. The spectator is handed the cue ball. They decide the shot, the angle and the strength. The only condition is that the cue ball must strike at least two cushions before coming to rest.

When the ball finally stops, the card nearest to it is turned over. It is the very card they merely thought of.

The Cue Ball...

Two sandwich routines based on the same principle, each with a different handling and ending.

Completely self-working. No sleight of hand required. Performed with a regular deck. Fools magicians.

Miracle Count 15 & 47:
No complicated stack. The spectator freely cuts to a card and remembers it. The magician turns the 15th and 47th cards face up, then deals alternately into two tabled piles. The two face-up cards always remain in the same pile. In the end, they sandwich a single card—the spectator's selection. The other piles are then revealed to contain the four Kings.

15 & 47 Sandwich:...

An absolute hot favourite with Dai Vernon, Nate Leipzig, Faucett Ross, Al Koran, Jean Hugard, Cy Endfield and a host of others, Matching The Cards is right up at the top of the ladder for sheer popularity and always has been. This is not some careless overstatement: Matching The Cards is one of the most highly prized card mysteries - ever!

Lewis Ganson wrote a best-selling booklet devoted to just this one effect, Matching the Cards Teach-In. MTC has been making the rounds for years and you will most likely recognize it. The effect...

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...

You will find more than 50 ideas and effects, some old that have been released before, and some brand new that Jozsef has never shared before.

"A lovely collection of mostly close-up card magic that had me reaching for cards almost immediately!" - Paul Hallas

"József, you have the 'knack' to create direct effects with simple methods, which is, in my opinion, the essence of commercial magic." - Aldo Colombini

• PREFACE
• PERFECT
• BES-TEST
• ESP BUNDLE
• FIVE CARD BRAINWAVE
• MATCHING PAIRS
• ESJ (ELMSLEY–SIVA–JORDAN) PREDICTION
• CENTRIFUGAL TRIUMPH
• JAZZ
• FARO 21 ...