Magic tricks for poker night: a buyer’s guide

Poker night already has the props a magician wants: cards, dice and a table full of people paying attention. For a card player who wants to understand how cheats work, start with Expert Card Technique. For a quick mind-reading moment, try Sure Shot Dice or the Circuit marked deck. For a bigger, gambling-themed routine, look at Seven the Hard Way. Every detail below is from the product’s own description.

Why does magic suit poker night?

Card players already handle cards, shuffle, deal and watch each other closely. A trick that uses the same props feels at home at the table, and a gambling theme gives you a ready-made story.

One suggestion before you start: perform these as demonstrations between hands, and never use a magic method in a game played for real money. A trick is entertainment; using it to win a pot is cheating.

What should a card player read first?

Expert Card Technique by Jean Hugard and Fred Braue is a 448-page softbound book with step-by-step instructions for the basic manipulations, such as the palm, the shuffle, the lift, the side slip, the pass, the glimpse, the jog and the reverse. It also covers false deals, crimps, changes, forces, fans and the prearranged deck.

The part that suits poker night is its compendium of “shakedown” sleights, included to warn the card player as well as to help the entertainer. The book also teaches a range of tricks, including the Four Aces and the Rising Cards, and a performer’s guide to misdirection and patter.

If you’re new to the moves it describes, our guides to false shuffles and second, bottom and centre deals explain the ideas behind them.

Which trick works with the dice?

Sure Shot Dice from Apprentice Magic is a self-working prediction. You show two normal dice and a dice shaker. A spectator puts the dice into the shaker, shakes them, and you predict which numbers will be rolled. The shaker is totally opaque, and you can repeat it with a different outcome each time.

It needs no sleight of hand and comes with all the props, online video instructions, performance tips and a storyline to present it with. That makes it an easy pick for someone who has never done a magic trick. For another dice effect you can do with any dice, see our dice total prediction.

Which deck is made for gambling routines?

Circuit Marked Playing Cards from The 1914 were designed with the playing card designer Destino. Their description names memory demonstrations, psychic gambling routines and mind reading as what the deck is for. The backs carry a system of hidden markings that the description calls easy to read, and they are printed on German card stock.

A marked deck is a tool for magic, not for a real game. To understand how marked decks work in performance, read marked decks explained.

What about a bigger routine?

Seven the Hard Way is a gambling-themed routine created by Bob Wagner. You show the different ways a player can roll a winning number at the craps table, ending with a card that is blank on one side and shows seven on the other.

The prop is nine and a half inches square (24 cm) with spots two and a quarter inches (5.7 cm) across, sized so it can be seen in a 500-seat theatre as well as close up or on a Zoom show. It takes a lot of hand work to make, is made in America, weighs six ounces and comes with a link to a tutorial video covering the presentation and instructions.

Which one should you choose?

• For the card player who wants to learn: Expert Card Technique.
• For a quick, easy prediction: Sure Shot Dice.
• For mind-reading with a normal-looking deck: Circuit Marked Playing Cards.
• For a showpiece routine: Seven the Hard Way.

For the cards themselves, browse our playing cards and read our guide to the best playing cards for magic. If mind-reading appeals, our easy mentalism collection has more.

Frequently asked questions